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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 333.95952216091641
EAN: 9780816518463
ISBN: 0816518467
Label: University of Arizona Press
Manufacturer: University of Arizona Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 186
Publication Date: January 01, 2000
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Studio: University of Arizona Press
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com Review:
The peninsula of Baja California is a place little known even within Mexico, a place, until very recently, of isolated fishing villages and single-lane roads. Now great fleets of fishing boats from all over the world, coupled with a gigantic saltworks and other industrial development, threaten the waters off Baja California--a favored habitat of the gray whale, a creature that has received much attention in recent years.
Once endangered throughout much of its range, the gray whale has made a comeback thanks to international efforts to preserve the species. Ecologist Serge Dedina discusses how those efforts can be extended to Baja California, where much of the whale's habitat is threatened. Dedina proposes ways to involve local fishing people in whale conservation, by, for instance, developing a locally owned, whale-watching-based tourist industry of the sort that brings millions of dollars to California and British Columbia, other stops along the gray whale's migratory route. "Conservation," Dedina writes in this engaging study, "is more than a political process. It intersects with the way people live, perceive, and interact with the animals and landscape around them." His book, full of useful lessons, will be of much interest to conservationists working with animals and habitats of all kinds, as well as to anyone concerned about the gray whale's future. --Gregory McNamee
Product Description:
Once hunted by whalers and now the darling of ecotourists, the gray whale has become part of the culture, history, politics, and geography of Mexico's most isolated region. After the harvesting of gray whales was banned by international law in 1946, their populations rebounded; but while they are no longer hunted for their oil, these creatures are now chased up and down the lagoons of southern Baja California by whalewatchers. This book uses the biology and politics associated with gray whales in Mexican waters to present an unusual case study in conservation and politics. It provides an inside look at how gray whale conservation decisions are made in Mexico City and examines how those policies and programs are carried out in the calving grounds of San Ignacio Lagoon and Magdalena Bay, where catering to ecotourists is now an integral part of the local economy. More than a study of conservation politics, Dedina's book puts a human face on wildlife conservation. The author lived for two years with residents of Baja communities to understand their attitudes about wildlife conservation and Mexican politics, and he accompanied many in daily activities to show the extent to which the local economy depends on whalewatching. "It is ironic," observes Dedina, "that residents of some of the most isolated fishing villages in North America are helping to redefine our relationship with wild animals. Americans and Europeans brought the gray whale population to the brink of extinction. The inhabitants of San Ignacio Lagoon and Magdalena Bay are helping us to celebrate the whales' survival." By showing us how these animals have helped shape the lifeways of the people with whom they share the lagoons, Saving the Gray Whale demonstrates that gray whales represent both a destructive past and a future with hope.
Average Rating: 
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This book, along with Sightings: The Gray Whales' Mysterious Journey
by Linda Hogan & Brenda Peterson, are required reading for anyone planning to do gray whale watching in Mexico. It is based on the reality of how Mexican politics, not conservationism, determined the perservation of these wonderful animals in Mexico. Most people are not aware that Mexico is the ONLY country in North America that has outlawed gray whale harvesting.
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I have been reading everything I can find about the gray whale since I am visiting them in San Ignacio, Baja, Mexico in early February. I found this book to be the most informative for someone who is truly interested in how gray whale conservation evolved especially from the standpoint of how politics influences conservation efforts. Fortunately for the gray whale, the Mexican government had enough proponents to stop the Mitsubishi salt mining from expanding. And Mexico is the ONLY COUNTRY which has outlawed gray whale harvesting. If you are visting the gray whales in Baja, this is a definite must read!
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I just returned from touring Baja and experiencing the magnificent gray whale. Serge Dedina spent a significant amount of time researching the content; he succinctly conveys the history of politics and conservation in Baja California in this book. After visiting the same places he lived, and experiencing the people, environment and Gray Whale, I can attest to the fact that Dedina's work is dead-on accurate. Reading this will save you months of research. And, if you are fortunate enough to travel to Baja, I can guarantee you will come away wanting more, and wishing you had done your homework.
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(From Planeta Journal) - For the past several years, one of Mexico's most pressing environmental controversies was whether or not the Mexican government and the Mitsubishi Corporation should develop a new salt mining operation within the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, one of the world's four breeding areas for gray whales. A candid text, Saving the Gray Whale provides an engaging capsule history of whale conservation in Mexico and a timely review of environmental politics.
In fact, the timing could not be more opportune for this book. Within a month of publication, the plans for the salt operation were cancelled. For readers who are only now learning about this issue, this book is an excellent resource.
Saving the Gray Whale is a must-read book for whale watchers and readers interested in Mexican environmental issues. The candid tone stems from the author's travels and research in Baja, not to mention dizzying trips to Mexico City, where the labyrinths of political power stray far from efficiency. The author combines analysis from historical reports, planning meetings and from encounters on the road or from a kayak paddled across San Ignacio Lagoon.
This book is a treasury of little-known facts ("Gray whales are not gray") and a straightforward review of environmental politics in Mexico -- at least as far as the government is concerned. The list of players is a must-read for anyone interested in environmental issues! Unfortunately, it does not have the same depth when it reviews how the conservation groups ("Non-Governmental Organizations") operate. Is the "Grupo de los 100" really Mexico's "most influential" environmental group? Likewise, what do The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund do in Mexico? Reports are kept hush and the author doesn't seem to question the lack of transparency.
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This book combines a captivating portrait of the whales and the people of southern Baja with a well-documented political analysis of the challenges involved in conservation. Plus, it's a great read.
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