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Belugas

As demand for oil continues to rise, conflict with wildlife is inevitable. Monty Don explores this in the context of a population of beluga whales in Canada's St Lawrence River.

The St Lawrence River in south east Canada is a popular spot for many species of whale including a resident small population of the world's only entirely white whale, the beluga. Plans to build a new terminal in the St Lawrence to ship oil from northern Canada to the rest of the world have made some of the residents of one particular tourist town particularly concerned. The protesters claim the development will be right at the heart of the belugas critical habitat, which at worst could threaten the future survival of this small population. As the demand for oil increases are some wildlife casualties inevitable? And as attention turns further north into the icy waters of the Arctic are we adequately prepared to clean up in the event of a spill?

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28 minutes

Last on

Mon 8 Sep 2014 21:00

Professor Robert Gramling

Professor Robert Gramling

Bob Gramling is an environmental sociologist. He is the author or co-author of four books and numerous journal articles.聽His research has focused on coastal communities and natural resource development; coastal restoration; and on natural and technological disasters and recovery.


He has served on National Academy of Science committees and scientific committees for state and federal agencies, including National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Power Planning Commission, and the states of Alaska and Louisiana.


His research has been funded by a number of agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Interior.

Professor Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen

Professor Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen
Professor Mads Peter Heide-J酶rgensen has been working as a senior scientist at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources since 1988. His expertise is in the ecology of cetaceans in Greenland and his work has produced over 100 peer-reviewed publications and books on Arctic top predator biology.

Robert Michaud

Robert Michaud's work with the whales of the St Lawrence began when he was hired as a naturalist aboard the first boats that were taking tourists to see the whales off Tadoussac in the early 1980s.

What started as seasonal employment became the work of a lifetime and led to him founding the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) in 1985.

His goal was to study whales to better understand and protect them and to use the information they discovered to engage the public and make them aware of the importance of protecting the marine environment.

CBC News Article: Pipeline threatens beluga whales, activists say

An article by CBC News on an attempt by four environmental groups get a temporary injunction to stop oil exploration in the Saint Lawrence River; as featured in the programme.聽 A judges decision on the request to due on Tuesday 2nd September 2014.聽 See the .

Broadcasts

  • Tue 2 Sep 2014 11:00
  • Mon 8 Sep 2014 21:00

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