The museum where whales and dolphins come to LIFE

To visit the Whale Museum on the Portuguese island of Madeira is to step into an immersive underwater world shared by bottlenose dolphins, short-finned pilot whales, sea turtles, seabirds and monk seals. Here, thanks in part to the MARVEL project, the incredible Atlantic marine biodiversity can be enjoyed by everyone, not just divers and sailors.

Co-funded by the LIFE Programme under the BESTLIFE2030 project, the 3-year, €100 000 project aims to improve protection for Madeira's marine vertebrates. In its first year alone, the team covered more than 3 300 km, collected more than 26 000 photographs of 9 whale and dolphin species and recorded 7 encounters with marine turtles - invaluable for shaping future conservation and management. Many of these stunning images will be incorporated into the permanent exhibition of the Whale Museum. But, explains the museum's marine biologist Dr Luís Freitas, the project is about much more than simply taking photos.

'MARVEL tackles a simple but serious issue: Madeira's seas are getting busier, while many of the animals that live there are still poorly understood and hard to protect,' says Luís. 'Marine wildlife shares the same waters with whale watching boats, cruise ships, fishing vessels and planned offshore wind farms, which makes long-term monitoring and effective enforcement essential. Photo identification enables us to estimate population size, movement patterns and overall conservation status.'

The project watches people as closely as it watches wildlife, recording the number and type of vessels operating in the area and mapping them against areas where animals rest and feed to identify overlaps with busy shipping routes and future wind-farm zones. MARVEL also works with Madeira's IFCN conservation authority to strengthen whale-watching legislation, improve surveillance of sensitive areas and identify ways to reduce the impacts of human activities on marine species.

There's a strong emphasis on outreach and awareness raising. During its first year, the team organised school visits and beach clean-ups involving more than 100 children and teachers, held meetings with 6 whale-watching companies, and reached approximately 18 000 people through social media, television and public events. 'MARVEL aims to change how people living on land think about life in the ocean,' adds Luís. 'It's putting marine conservation firmly into Madeira's public conversation.'

MARVEL provides a practical example of how field data can be translated into indicators of Good Environmental and Conservation Status - as defined under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive - and demonstrates how sustainable tourism can contribute to protecting those very species on which it depends.

BESTLIFE2030 is funded by the LIFE Programme and supports more than 57 projects across the European Union's outermost regions and Overseas Countries and Territories, including Amazonia, the Caribbean, Macaronesia, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and the North Atlantic. The project contributes to the implementation of the EU Birds, Habitats and Marine Strategy Framework Directives, while strengthening local capacity, knowledge and engagement in regions facing significant environmental pressures.