Space for seals: understanding the relationships between human stakeholders and seals to promote positive wildlife watching practices

It is increasingly recognised that human health and wellbeing can be fostered through encounters with the natural world and wildlife. Be it unexpected or planned, sighting a charismatic marine species such as the grey seal is often an exciting and meaningful experience that encourages a connection to the natural world. However, there also exists a conflict between the human desire to observe and interact with seals, the conservation of the species, individual seal welfare and the economy of which they are a part. The activity of seal watching involves a diverse set of stakeholder groups including recreationists, tourists, tour operators, charities, local community groups and seal advocacy groups. The narratives and experiences of these groups are often not sufficiently reflected in current codes of conduct and educational materials designed to tackle the issue potentially limiting their effectiveness. Consequently, Space for Seals aims to:

1. Understand the relationships between the human stakeholders of wildlife watching and the seals, and how they inform detrimental interspecies interactions.
2. Explore the different ethical relationships human stakeholders could develop with seals, that focus on care and responsibility.
3. Identify novel and engaging possibilities for communication and intervention with different interspecies stakeholders.

We will run participatory workshops to explore the more-than-human entanglements and interrelations that human stakeholders and seals find themselves in. Participants will be invited to explore interspecies relations to seals through a variety of creative activities that will combine: i) narrative approaches ii) material experiments and iii) performance-based activities. The workshop activities will provide a foundation for a toolkit for local and national marine groups to utilise for future engagement activities and the promotion of best practice.