WWF TRAVEL RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS: WHALE WATCHING BUT NOT ONLY!

WWF Travel proposes a sailing expedition where travelers will be involved in WWF scientific research activities for the protection of the megafauna of the Mediterranean. An experience of the sea and navigation accompanied by WWF researchers, where you can learn how to observe, identify and protect, with strictly non-invasive methods, the cetaceans of our seas.

For travelers it will be an opportunity to enjoy natural and marine beauties, to have fun in the most beautiful seas of the Mediterranean and at the same time to develop skills of great scientific interest such as:

nature photography techniques and photo-identification

monitoring

• behavioural sampling

• use of research instrumentation: GPS, navigation software, reticle binoculars, video camera and BORIS software for the acquisition of surface behavioural data.

The atmosphere that reigns on the boat is serene and informal and all the people on board will be involved in the activities on board (such as cooking, keeping the boat tidy,..), in order to preserve the spirit of sharing that characterizes this type of holiday. The daily activities, in agreement with the skipper and the researcher, will be modulated and variable according to the weather and sea conditions and the identification of itineraries that lend themselves extemporaneously to scientific research. For this reason, in the crew we will need to be flexible and understand that working with animals in the wild is not 100% plannable. Sometimes cetacean observations will require longer navigations in order to make an observation. But that's the beauty of a cruise that has a scientific research component!

WHY CHOOSE WWF TRAVEL?

1) RESPONSIBLE TOURISM: we are among the founding members of AITR, the Italian Association of Responsible Tourism; For us, making a trip means first of all implementing all the good practices aimed at respecting the environment, local communities and supporting the protection of biodiversity;

2) COMPETENCE and KNOWLEDGE: we place a huge value on competence, in fact WWF researchers all come from naturalistic training courses, but above all they have a very clear objective, which is to give depth to the emotions experienced on board and ensure that your wealth of knowledge is much heavier when you return from an experience with WWF, enriching every moment spent in search of the inhabitants of the sea with details.

3) FUN AND PLEASURE: let's never forget that we are talking about holidays. We want to learn more about the nature that surrounds us, but we want to do it while enjoying the beauty of the places we are visiting and appreciating the pleasure of sharing the experience with our travel companions in a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere.