Abstract

CORNEJO ORTEGA, José Luis  and  CHAVEZ DAGOSTINO, Rosa María. Carbon footprint and whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) watching activity in the Marietas Islands, Nayarit, Mexico. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2014, vol.30, n.1, pp.121-130. ISSN 0188-4999.

During the winter, whale watching is the main attraction in the Bay of Banderas, being the humpback whale the main species. Although considered a low-impact activity of educational content, due to the origin and the number of tourists, CO₂ emissions can be significant, so this paper estimates the overall impact through carbon footprint generated by the whale watching activity in the Marietas Islands, Nayarit, Mexico. A total of 136 visitors who performed whale watching activity were surveyed from December 2010 to March 2011 and then surveys were statistically analyzed. The emissions were calculate at Atmosfair on line and included transportation from major origin and adjacent cities to Puerto Vallarta, local transport, accommodation and activities in which they participated during their stay at the destination. The carbon footprint of whale watching experience varied between 0.28 and 6.9 t/CO₂ per person. The estimated average per person was 1.93 t/CO₂, while a global tourist trip average (i.e., including travel using air or ground transportation) was estimated to generate 0.25t /CO₂; therefore whale watching experience is above average.

Keywords : CO₂ emissions; tourism; ecological cost.