Two pygmy blue whale publications and an erratum

It’s been a while since I visited this blog. After five years of hiatus, I am happy to report that at the moment I have a fixed term contract work with the James Cook University (.5 FTE) and hopefully another one (which completes it to 1.0 FTE) will be coming early next year. 

Anyway, the purpose of this blogpost is to update you on my publications. My ORCID page is this one and SCOPUS page is this one. My two latest publications are about pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) – accidentally also two individuals. One publication is a Note on Marine Mammal Science titled “The first record of the southbound movements of satellite-tagged pygmy blue whales (B. m. brevicauda) from Savu Sea (Indonesia) to the subantarctic waters” (Mustika et al. 2024). The paper received quite a good Altimetric; 31 as I wrote this article.

Updates 2020-2019

Yes, been quite busy, but thank God, I'm still alive and healthy. The best way to update what I've been doing is through this infographic, which I hope sufficiently tells what I've been doing. Got some good publications too, thanks to my co-authors; seven in 2020 and two confirmed in 2021 (hoping for the 3rd one soon, fingers crossed).

Stay happy and healthy, everyone!

Update of first semester of 2019

This is Kiluan Bay (Lampung, Sumatra). Gorgeous beyond words...

Justin my new friend kindly advised me to update my blog (“cos it’s awesome!”), so I blushingly agreed. Thank you for the reminder!

So here it is: I’ve been updating a subject on policy analysis at the James Cook University to be taken to masters level for next semester. (“oh, you do policy, Icha?” Apparently, I do… particularly when you think that environmental issues are not going to solve themselves without proper policies in place!).

In March, CETASI (Cetacean Sirenian Indonesia) received some funding from the Conservation Strategy Fund (thank you, CSF!) for conducting an economic study of dolphin watching in Kiluan (Lampung, Sumatra). The project is titled “Dolphin-watching tourism as an alternative or supplemental livelihood to marginalised artisanal fishers in Indonesia". This project will explore whether dolphin-watching tourism can generate direct or indirect employment that provides a sustainable income equal or superior to a fisheries income. The CSF grant established myself as one of the 2019-2020 Indonesia Marine Fellows of the Conservation Strategy Fund.

The 2018 updates

OMG, I have apparently missed the whole 2018 for any updates!

This book has my chapter!

I’m still alive (and healthy, thank you, Universe!) and still working with sustainable tourism, tourism economics and marine mammal issues in general. I was teaching for the second semester at James Cook University, thus it kept me busy during the last half of the year, while the first half of the 2018 was busy with me getting married to my partner in mid-April (we started dating in mid 2010).

I’ve also been collaborating on some papers. Three of them are under review now; one on old stranding paintings with Rodney Westerlaken, the other one on the habitat suitability of marine megafauna in Solor Islands with Muhammad Iqbal Herwata Putra, and the last one is on cetacean bycatch in Gorontalo Sulawesi with Elena Wonneberger, Karim Erzini and Nuralim Pasisingi. Five papers are being cooked as we speak: the first one is on the economics of shark tourism in Indonesia (with Hollie Booth and Muh Ichsan), the second one is on the habitat suitability of cetaceans in Solor Islands with Iqbal Herwata Putra, the third one is on the habitat suitability of cetaceans in Indonesia (with Achmad Sahri and Iqbal Herwata Putra), the fourth one is on the governance of marine mammals in Indonesia (with Achmad Sahri) and the fifth one is on the souvenir sellers in Lovina (with Riccardo Welters, Neil Loneragan and Carol Warren). There’s a batch of data on environmental education that I want to analyse, but I really have to set time for that to make it happen (!).

My project infography (2014-2017)

I've been meaning to make an infograph of my projects with Piktochart, but I haven't made time until just now. Now it seems a good time to make and publish it, considering year end etc. I only have the free account of Piktochart, which is very limited in templates and also sharing options. Not sure if I need to set aside fund for Piktochart subscription, for so far I'm happy with what I have. The more interactive option of this image is below the break (or click this).

I'm a nature tourism analyst

Post her here just because Margot Kidder's Lois Lane
 is a cool investigative journalist...

It occurred to me just now that I didn't market myself properly. I mostly market myself as a whale and dolphin researcher (leaving out the dugongs just because I'm not an Sirenian expert). However, I am also a marine tourism analyst. I have not only analysed dolphin tourism in Asia, but I have also analysed coral reef tourism in Bali and am currently analysing sharks and rays tourism in Indonesia (for Wildlife Conservation Society).

That means that I work with any marine animals, not just the dolphins or whales. Bring on those sharks, rays, sea turtles and penguins to me (if any).

Now it occurred to me, that I should not restrict myself to marine. As long as we talk about nature and sustainability, I feel comfortable in it.





Hence, I'd like to label myself as a nature tourism analyst. I'm interested in analysing the human dimension part of nature tourism (particularly wildlife tourism), be it in a marine or terrestrial setting. So, no more just limiting myself to marine setting; bring on those elephants and giraffes. Heck, I'd love to analyse some Himalayan nature tourism cases one day!

Oh, and although I am more interested in developing country settings, I'm also open to analyse any cases in developed countries as well.

And I'm always reachable through putuliza at gmail dot com.

Updates about the first semester of 2017

Apologies for the sloppy updating...

The first semester of 2017 was filled with writings... proposals and papers... and also giving some guest lectures to two subjects at James Cook University. My NGO (Cetacean Sirenian Indonesia) have lodged some proposals, yet no traction yet - but we won't give up!

I have submitted a book chapter with Ms Naneng Setiasih and Associate Prof. Riccardo Welters about tourist experience and economic benefits of dolphin watching in Lovina, updating my PhD work. The chapter will be included in a book about coral reef tourism, edited by Dr Anja Pabel and Prof Bruce Prideaux of Queensland University of Technology in Cairns Australia. Hopefully the book will be published before 2017 ends.

Meanwhile, I've also been hired by Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Programme to do a study on the benefits of sharks and rays tourism to conserve sharks and rays. The project started in May and will finish this August. I will keep update this blog on the results.