Whales have long been part of Tonga’s story and identity, and in the waters of Vava’u, science and traditional knowledge are coming together to improve understanding of these incredible animals.
The Tongan Whale Tourism Project is bringing generations-old knowledge together with scientific research to learn more about a whale’s journey and the waters to which they return each year.
Macquarie University Wildlife Scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta said this approach is a vast improvement from the more common practice of scientists coming in and out of research fields without collaborating with the local communities.
“A whale lives for 80+ years … It’s so wonderful that the whales choose to visit [Tonga’s] blue backyard,” she said.
“With science, we’re making sure that we’re fostering that next generation of knowledge holders, but also to understand how to collect information from the environment in new scientific methods to then merge with cultural knowledge of the oceans, which is especially important.”