HORIZON INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS SITE

Bottlenose Dolphin Photo by Charlie Phillips

A new Memorandum of Understanding to conserve the West African Manatee and Small Whales in Western Africa and Macaronesia was concluded in Lomé, Togo, under the auspices of UNEP’s Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) on October 7, 2008.

Rissos Dolphins Photo by Nicola Hodgins

The conservation instrument with two Action Plans for the conservation of these species was adopted at the second intergovernmental meeting on Western African and Macaronesian aquatic mammals (WATCH – Western African Talks on Cetaceans and their Habitats).

Dwarf Sperm Whale Photo by Henk de Groot and Desiree Hilggrason

  More than 30 small cetacean species will be covered in the agreement area that stretches from Macaronesia, through Morocco to South Africa. Macaronesia includes the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, and Cap Verde and the African Atlantic Coast. The agreement area also includes freshwater areas for manatees in some of the African countries.

False Killer Whale Photo by Brian Smith

  The need to conserve and raise awareness of western Africa’s marine mammals is as pressing as ever. Various threats, including direct and accidental catch, coastal development, pollution and habitat degradation, have caused western African marine mammal populations to decline rapidly. These issues require action on a regional, national and global level. The WATCH meetings and related activities under the auspices of CMS are an important part of the progress made in this field and can play a vital role in future conservation efforts.

Short-finned pilot whale Photo by Colin Wood

The new instrument, which will serve as a permanent legacy of the Year of the Dolphin, is crucial for the conservation of marine mammals in the western African and Macaronesian   region.  It helps to facilitate transboundary cooperation by providing an international platform to negotiate and coordinate research and conservation measures.  In this regard, CMS is reinforcing initiatives of other actors in the region. CMS seeks to provide a suitable legal and institutional framework to facilitate the implementation and further development of conservation efforts and optimize use of resources.

Orca or Killer Whale Photo by Barbara Todd

  CMS Executive Secretary Robert Hepworth said: “The new agreement in western Africa is the  fourth  in  our  network of regional agreements, which now conserve  migratory  cetaceans  in  key areas of the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans, and beyond. Concluding this agreement, and obtaining so many signatories on the spot, is a real boost for marine conservation in the run-up to the CMS Conference of Parties in December. Now we need to encourage Portugal, Spain and the remaining western African Range States to sign the MoU. I hope CMS Parties as a whole will agree in December to work in partnership with the Range States to get the agreement working effectively across this enormous and critical area.”

Striped Dolphin Photo by Julia Neider

Macaronesia Map from Wikipedia

Fifteen country representatives signed the agreement (Angola, Benin, Cape Verde,  Chad,  Congo,  Cote  d'Ivoire,  Equatorial  Guinea,  Gabon,  Ghana, Guinea-Bissau,  Liberia,  Mali,  Mauritania,  Niger, Togo), which came into effect  immediately on 3 October 2008 and will stay open for signature indefinitely.

Long-finned Pilot Whale Photo by Nico Schossleitner

Links to other agreements to conserve whales and dolphins that were concluded under the auspices of CMS:

ACCOBAMS

ASCOBANS

Pacific Cetaceans

Contact:

Veronika Lenarz, UNEP/CMS Secretariat

Public Information

T. +49 228 815-2409

F. +49 228 815-2449

vlenarz@cms.int

www.cms.int

http://www.cms.int/species/waam/index.htm.