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| Endangered whales such as the humpback which transit the Caribbean are now assured of a safe haven | |
KINGSTON, Jamaica, June 13, 2007 - The Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP) is optimistic that endangered humpback whales in the Wider Caribbean will be better protected under a new agreement signed by the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the United States' National Marine Sanctuary Program.
The agreement established the world's first sister sanctuary linkage protecting an endangered migratory marine mammal species on both ends of its range.
"Both countries are Parties to SPAW (Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife) and with these type of initiatives manifest the true spirit of regional cooperation ... to ensure the conservation of (whales and other) migratory endangered species," said Alessandra Vanzella-Khouri, SPAW Programme Officer, located at the CEP headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.
"This conservation action is important as a model for the Wider Caribbean Region," said Dr. Maximiliano Puig, the Dominican Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. "Our sanctuary was the first marine mammal sanctuary established in the region, and it continues to lead by example. Our broadest mandate is to engender a new discussion in our society about the importance of marine mammals, the oceans in which they live and our responsibility as ocean stewards."
The two sister sanctuaries, some 1,500 miles apart, provide critical support for the same humpback whale population of around 900 whales. These whales spend spring and summer in the rich feeding grounds of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) off the coast of Massachusetts before heading to the warmer waters of the Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos de la República Dominicana (SMMRD) in late fall to mate and have their young. The SMMRD and the SBNMS have agreed to enhance coordination in management efforts between the two sanctuaries and help improve humpback whale recovery in the North Atlantic. The sister sanctuary agreement goes into effect immediately and establishes the cooperation guidelines for the next five years.
"The sister sanctuary relationship will play a powerful role in protecting endangered humpback whales, and the opportunity for international cooperation in marine conservation is invaluable," said Daniel J. Basta, Program Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), under whose auspices the implementation of the US aspect of the agreement falls. "This agreement has the potential to improve our scientific knowledge, enhance our management ability and increase the program's visibility-benefits that extend far beyond the sanctuaries involved."
As sister sanctuaries, the two sites will explore new avenues for collaborative management efforts, including joint research, monitoring, education and capacity building programs.
"This is of critical importance not only for the conservation of the species but also for the economy of the Dominican Republic which has a thriving whale-watching industry that is generating US$ 5.2 million in revenue every year," says Vanzella-Khouri. "It is also an important example for similar emerging initiatives in this region such as the proposal of a marine mammal Sanctuary for the French Antilles within the territorial waters of the Departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique."
One of the goals of the SPAW Protocol is to develop specific regional and national management plans for endangered, threatened or vulnerable species in support of national biodiversity conservation efforts. SPAW is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through the CEP. It takes the approach that because marine mammals are migratory animals, successful conservation of marine mammals will depend upon the commitment of countries to build and maintain, with international assistance, internal capacities for setting conservation priorities and achieving high standards of population and habitat protection.
"Our ability to protect humpback whales will be determined by understanding the mosaic of interactions, including the historical, geographic, biological, chemical, and human factors, which influence their abundance and distribution," said Dr. Nathalie Ward, SBNMS Sister Sanctuary Coordinator. "The human activities that affect these animals are unlikely to stop but we can think about what we do, and make choices about an integrated regional-scale approach to research, outreach and policy strategy within an environmentally relevant and socially responsible framework."
This announcement gains renewed interest with the recent conclusion of the 59th Annual International Whale Commission meeting in Anchorage, Alaska which concluded with continued division between nations in favour of whaling and those for conservation of whales. While the IWC agreed on quotas for aboriginal subsistence whaling for places like Alaska, Greenland and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, resumption of commercial whaling, of any type, did not receive majority support. Furthermore, the current whaling for scientific purposes by countries like Japan received criticism from many countries. (PANOS)
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