Tenerife Cetacean Project
Run by MutatioMare
Advancing marine conservation and scientific research in the Canary Islands.
About MutatioMare
Operating since 2021
MutatioMare is a local Canarian association based in Tenerife, focused on marine conservation and research and dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of marine animals and their ecosystems. Through research, education, innovation and community engagement it generates knowledge that informs conservation action and promotes the long-term protection of marine biodiversity.
Its objectives are to:
- Conduct high-quality scientific research on cetaceans, sea turtles, seabirds and other marine species — collecting and analysing robust data on their ecology, behaviour, distribution and conservation to monitor marine ecosystems, assess human impacts, and support evidence-based management of marine protected areas and conservation policy.
- Complete land-based biodiversity surveys to better understand the species found on the island and the pressures they face, supporting the protection of endemic species and better land management.
- Promote environmental education for students, participants, locals and tourists to inspire more sustainable ways of coexisting with nature, and support the next generation of marine scientists and conservation leaders through training, internships, field experiences and research.
Project work
Marine research & monitoring
Boat-based cetacean surveys with photo-identification, alongside sea turtle, seabird and land-biodiversity monitoring — building robust, long-term data to inform conservation and the management of marine protected areas.
Education & sustainable seas
Environmental education for students, locals and visitors, training the next generation of marine scientists, and promoting ethical, sustainable whale and dolphin watching.
Day to day, the work includes training in cetacean identification and cataloguing; boat-based cetacean monitoring and photo-identification in the Teno-Rasca reserve; land surveys of boat traffic to assess threats to whales and dolphins; bird and rock-pool biodiversity surveys; beach cleans and microplastic collection; citizen-science data entry; sustainable-tourism practice such as ethical whale and dolphin watching; and environmental education and community outreach.
Impact
The project publishes annual figures on its cetacean monitoring, biodiversity surveys, coastal clean-ups and community education. The metrics below are grouped by year; the short-finned pilot whale photo-identification catalogue is cumulative and shown against the point at which each total was recorded.
2025
2024
2023
General
Approach
This is a local marine conservation organisation that monitors dolphin and pilot whale populations around a protected marine reserve, providing long-term, consistent data to support conservation decision-making and sustainable tourism. Its objectives include monitoring cetacean populations, supplying data to conservation partners, raising public awareness of marine ecosystems and endangered species, and assisting with local coastal waste management.
Work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 4, 6, 13, 14, 15 and 17. The organisation promotes ethical, sustainable whale and dolphin watching and supports local authorities in tourism decisions, while running its research station along sustainable lines with energy-efficient fixtures, a largely plant-based menu, an on-site garden and low-carbon transport.
Milestones
- 2021the project launched, partnering with REDPROMAR to monitor dolphin and pilot whale populations around the Teno-Rasca Marine Reserve, and introduced a citizen-science island conservation programme.
- 2022moved into its current research station and continued land surveys, beach cleans, citizen-science databases and community outreach.
- 2023first recorded sightings of false killer whales and Risso's dolphins; the pilot-whale photo-ID catalogue reached 500 identified individuals.
- 2024milestone sightings including a juvenile Cuvier's beaked whale, Blainville's beaked whales, a sei whale and a pygmy sperm whale; bird surveys began; the catalogue reached 600 identified pilot whales; third anniversary marked in August.
- 2025first sighting of a juvenile humpback whale. Ongoing work includes land surveys of boat movements, beach cleans, contributions to citizen-science databases such as eBird and iNaturalist, and environmental education and community outreach.
Highlights
- Tenerife's west coast was declared a Whale Heritage Site for cetacean conservation in 2021 - the first Whale Heritage Site in Europe.
- The surrounding waters are among the best places on the planet for whale and dolphin watching, with as many as 30 species of cetaceans present.
- The pilot-whale photo-ID catalogue grew from 500 identified short-finned pilot whales (Dec 2023) to 600 (Jul 2024).
- Data partners include RedPROMAR (Government of the Canary Islands biodiversity network), eBird, and ocean citizen-science platforms; the project also works alongside local marine organisation Whale Express in the Teno-Rasca Reserve.
- Endangered or threatened species recorded include fin whales, sperm whales, false killer whales and loggerhead turtles.
- Tenerife receives approximately 5 million tourists annually - a key pressure the project's sustainable-tourism work is designed to address.
About Tenerife
The project is based in southern Tenerife (Adeje), the largest of the Canary Islands, Spain, on an island dominated by the sometimes-snowy active volcano Mount Teide. In 2021 the island's west coast was declared a Whale Heritage Site - the first in Europe - and the surrounding waters, including the Teno-Rasca Marine Reserve, are among the best places on the planet for whale and dolphin watching, home to as many as 30 species of cetaceans.
Tenerife's climate is mild and subtropical year-round: winters (November-March) average 18-22C with occasional rain in the north, and summers (April-October) average 24-28C, occasionally exceeding 30C in the south. The island is a densely populated tourist destination receiving approximately 5 million visitors a year, which is both a pressure on the marine environment and part of the conservation challenge the project addresses.
Volunteering in Spain
The waters between Tenerife and La Gomera hold resident whale and dolphin populations year-round, which is unusual and makes sustained study possible rather than seasonal. It is also one of the busiest whale-watching areas in Europe, so the research has direct management consequences.
NGO, nonprofit or charity — which is it?
People search for all of these and mean roughly the same thing. NGO — non-governmental organisation — is the term used most widely outside the UK and is what MutatioMare would call itself. Nonprofit and not-for-profit describe how it is funded: no owner takes a profit. Charity is a specific legal status in the UK, and conservation organisations registered in Spain are governed by Spanish law rather than by the Charity Commission, so the word does not map across exactly. On this site, "local NGO" means an organisation that is registered, staffed and directed in the country it works in.
Volunteer placement FAQs
Where is the project based and what does it study?
What does a typical week look like?
What is included in a placement?
What is the accommodation like?
Are meals provided?
Who can volunteer, and are there age or experience requirements?
How long can I stay?
How do I join, and when do placements start?
What programmes are available?
What skills and training will I gain?
Will I get to analyse the data I collect?
What marine species might I see?
What is the weather like in Tenerife?
Are there optional activities outside fieldwork?
What is the approach to working with the whales and dolphins?
Where is the research station based?
Can I volunteer in Spain?
Yes. The Impact Network Foundation works with one partner organisation in Spain: Tenerife Cetacean Project, based in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. You apply to it directly through this site.
What NGOs are there in Spain?
The NGO in the Impact Network in Spain is MutatioMare, an independent conservation organisation working in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. It is one of eight NGOs in the network, and the network is deliberately small — every organisation in it is locally run rather than a field office of an international charity.
Are there NGOs in Tenerife?
Yes — MutatioMare works in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Its work is whale and dolphin research.
What volunteer work can I do in Spain?
Whale and dolphin research. Marine conservation and scientific research on the cetacean populations in the waters off Tenerife — survey work, data collection and the research that underpins protection of the area.
How long can I volunteer in Spain for?
You can volunteer for anywhere between 2 and 12 weeks, and you choose your own start date rather than fitting a fixed intake.
Is this a local NGO or a volunteer agency?
MutatioMare is an independent, locally run organisation. The Impact Network Foundation does not operate it, staff it or direct its work — the Foundation exists to connect volunteers to organisations like it and to publish what they achieve.
How do I apply to volunteer in Spain?
Apply on the Tenerife Cetacean Project page on this site. Every applicant then has a short one-to-one call before a place is confirmed, so you can ask anything and the organisation can check the placement is a good fit.