A new accreditation scheme recognising areas of the world considered to be centres of excellence and responsibility in taking care of and engaging with cetaceans has been established in the hope of boosting tourism and enabling sustainable management of these sites.

The World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) – the world’s largest partnership working to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises – will be granting Whale Heritage Site status to multiple locations, with the recognised sites having to showcase the highest standards of responsible whale and dolphin watching while also engaging with local communities and foreign tourists.

The plan will be laid out at the Whale Heritage Sites Summit taking place in October in Horta, Portugal, with delegates agreeing the final criteria for site designation and the first site expected to be named in early 2016.

“The best possible way to protect ocean wildlife is to encourage people to see it for themselves in a responsible way,” said WCA secretariat, Dylan Walker.

“If, through Whale Heritage Sites, those same people can also experience coastal communities that celebrate and care for their marine natural heritage and understand the importance of a sustainable approach, we may yet win the battle to save our oceans.”