The Saint Lawrence Beluga: A Concerted Effort to Save an Endangered Isolated Population

In September 1988, more than 300 participants attended the First International Forum on the Future of the Beluga, held in Tadoussac, Quebec, Canada. This Forum, organized by the ‘Fondation pour la Sauvegarde des Espèces Menacées’ (FOSEM), was intended to contribute to the development and the implementation of a survival strategy for the endangered St Lawrence population of the White Whale or Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) by bringing together representatives of all the parties concerned. Exceeding all expectations, this event caught the attention of the press and the general public in such a way that the White Whale of the St Lawrence became a prominent symbol of our growing concern for environment in eastern Canada.This paper is intended to present an overview of the facts and efforts that contributed to the success of the First International Forum on the Future of the Beluga as a casestudy showing how contributions from NGOs and the general public can help to improve the situation of an endangered species and the prospect of stabilization of that part of the human environment of which it has formed a prominent feature from time immemorial.