Reporting marine mammal strandings in Uruguay: a characterization of people’s perceptions, interests and motivations

In recent decades, human impacts on marine ecosystems have become more evident, shaping public perceptions and wildlife management practices. Marine mammals, often seen as charismatic and flagship species, attract attention due to their conservation status and frequent strandings. In Uruguay, where pinniped and cetacean strandings are common, public awareness and knowledge about stranding response is limited. Coastal citizens who use the coast as a recreational area, are often the first to detect a stranding, so their response (or lack of response), the reporting, and the quality of information mostly depend on them. To address this, a Stranding Network project was launched in 2018, focusing on outreach and data collection. Eight talks were held to educate the public and questionnaires were applied to attendees and to individuals who reported standings, aiming to understand their knowledge, perceptions and motivations and previous experiences with marine mammals. Results revealed that many attendees had limited prior knowledge but expressed strong interest in learning and participating in the network. Stranding infor­mants, believe that strandings are due to natural causes, such as age or disease, and human activities. These events evoked a range of emotions in people: sadness, compassion, and disappointment towards human actions. However, knowledge gaps about appropriate stranding responses persist, with some individuals reporting actions that could pose risks to both, humans and animals. By evaluating public perceptions and stranding reports, the Stranding Network project aims to improve future communication strategies and activities to optimize response strategies for marine mammal strandings.