As whale hunting became increasingly unprofitable, production soon declined. Towards the end of the s, new technologies were being developed that could catch whales in much larger numbers. Rather than the classic sail- or oar-powered boats that the Americans had been using, the Norwegians developed mechanized, steam-powered vessels with cannons and harpoons.
This made whaling much more efficient. Not only could we catch more whales, it also allowed us to catch species — like Blue and Fin Whales — that were too fast for our old technologies.
It had a dramatic impact. Whale populations fell by two-thirds in just over a century. In there were around 2. By there were only , left. Not all species were impacted equally. Some of the largest — the Blue and Fin Whale in particular — were prime targets. This meant that the decline of total biomass of whales over this period was even greater. We see this discrimination towards particular species in the chart. All species declined, but the extent was wildly different.
Its populations fell from , to just 5, A reduction of Both demand and supply rocketed. Whale oils were initially used for lighting, but their market soon expanded. Sperm oil is special because it maintains its lubricating qualities at very high temperatures — this made it a vital ingredient for machinery, engines, guns and watches during the Industrial Revolution.
Advancements in cosmetics and food chemistry meant that its by-products were soon used for soaps, textiles, and even margarine. Ambergris — a substance found in the intestine of sperm whales — was, and still is, used to make perfume.
You will find it in the luxury perfume, Chanel No. Whales made it into the fashion industry too. In the chart we see how this rising demand for whale products affected hunting rates across the world. This shows the number of whales killed each year, from onwards. For decades, tens of thousands of whales were killed each year.
Only World War II gave these animals some reprieve — notice the drop in kills during the earlys. In fact, a number of countries formed the International Whaling Commission IWC in to work out how to manage international whaling stocks. By the midth century, many species were pushed to the brink of extinction. By the midth century, the prospects for whales was looking bleak.
And yet, the world managed to turn things around. In the chart we see the number of whales killed per decade. We see a gradual rise over the first half of the century — with the exception of the war-stricken s — with whale catch reaching its peak in the s. But, we see a decline since then. What caused this? There were a number of factors at play.
By the s, whale populations had become increasingly depleted — this scarcity had an impact on the economic incentives to hunt them. Whales were becoming harder to find and catch.
Technological advances also meant that substitutes for whale oil and bone in the cosmetic, food and textile industries were becoming cheaper and more accessible. The whaling industry was losing its profitability. There was another massive policy change in the s. More and more countries were becoming members of the International Whaling Commission. In the map we see the timeline by which countries joined the IWC.
After many decades of failed quota agreements, the IWC agreed to a global moratorium. This made commercial whaling illegal, with only a few exceptions. These countries typically hunt species that are not considered to be critically endangered.
Some species will still take many decades to recover. Populations of North Atlantic right whale, the Arctic bowhead, and the Pacific blue whale are still critical.
Yet the story of whaling overall is a conservation success: an animal that was once in high demand across the world has been saved from extinction through substitution and international cooperation. Many species are in a similar position to whales in the s. If you would like to know more about the types of cookies we serve and how to change your cookie settings, please read our Cookie Notice.
By clicking the "I accept" button, you consent to the use of these cookies. As the call to protect 30 percent of land and ocean ecosystems by gains momentum, how much of Earth is currently protected?
The latest edition of the biennial report had some good news — at least 17 percent of land environments are protected as of — but the quality of those protected areas could still be improved. The report set out to assess how well world leaders had succeeded at meeting 11 of the 20 biodiversity targets set by the UN Convention on Biodiversity at a meeting in Aichi, Japan. An assessment last year showed that none of these targets had been met in full. However, the new report indicates that, at least on target 11, the world has made meaningful progress.
Target 11 set a goal of protecting 17 percent of land and inland water ecosystems and 10 percent of coastal and marine ecosystems by This first goal has been met.
The report calculated that Protection efforts fell short of the second half of the target, however, as only 7. In terms of the quantity of land added, the last decade saw significant progress, the report noted. An area greater than the size of the Russian Federation has been conserved since , and new areas are added every month.
While the total area of ocean conserved fell short of the target, there was a lot of relative growth in this area, with 68 percent of that growth reported in the last 10 years. Tracking progress towards global targets for protected and conserved areas.
Marine Protected Areas. Terrestrial Protected Areas. Green Listed Protected Areas. Protected areas are those that are purposefully managed for the long-term conservation of nature; however, positive conservation outcomes can also occur outside of protected areas. Other effective area-based conservation measures OECMs are those areas that result in sustained, positive outcomes for biodiversity even though biodiversity conservation is not necessarily the primary management objective.
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