Pacific Island Countries celebrate the Year of the Dolphin
- © Kate Grellier
A series of meetings on cetacean conservation and a kick-off event launch the UN international campaign for the conservation of wild dolphins in the Pacific Island Region, under the aegis of the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
Apia, Samoa, 5 March: Spread over 40 million square kilometers, the Pacific Island Region accounts for 10% of the world’s oceans and over half of the world’s known species of whales and dolphins. Direct take and by-catch, degradation and disturbance of habitats, chemical and noise pollution, decline in food availability, ship strikes, climate change and other threats have seriously depleted cetacean populations.
“A full week of meetings on cetacean conservation is the first regional contribution to the 2007 Year of the Dolphin Campaign developed by CMS” informed Mr. Asterio Takesy, Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), opening the first gathering in the series.
The week sees a number of different events, such as an outreach workshop - funded by the Ministry of Environment of Germany - to discuss the possible contribution of CMS in the Pacific region with a focus on cetacean conservation; the first meeting of the signatories to the CMS regional agreement for the protection of whale and dolphins, the SPREP meeting to review the related Action Plan, and an Australian-funded workshop on by-catch.
During an evening reception, the CMS Secretariat released for the first time the Year of the Dolphin poster and presented results and initiatives developed to date by the founding partners and supporters of the campaign and encouraged more countries to join.
In her presentation, Ms Paola Deda, Inter-Agency Liaison Officer, CMS Secretariat, stressed the unique character of the campaign which gathers UN agencies, such as UNEP and UNESCO in addition to CMS and CMS cetacean agreements, the private sector, represented by the leading tourism group TUI, and non-governmental organizations such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), and several governments.
“The YoD is a true partnership across boundaries, like the animals we are committed to protect”, she said. “The kick-off of the campaign looks very promising and I hope to this initiative will flourish and found supporters in the Pacific region as well” added Ms. Deda.
A report prepared on the occasion of the First Meeting of the signatories to the CMS whale and dolphin agreement in the Pacific reminds that the region is home to several dolphin species, including the Risso’s dolphin, the Fraser’s dolphin, the pan-tropical spotted dolphin, the striped dolphin, the spinner dolphin, the rough-toothed dolphin and two species of the bottlenose dolphin. The report is available at:
www.wdcs.org
Note
CMS: The Convention on Migratory Species, an intergovernmental treaty developed under the aegis of UNEP, addresses key challenges and barriers to the migration of species, such as climate change, illegal taking and pollution and other threats to the survival of migratory animals. For more information visit: www.cms.int
SPREP: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is an intergovernmental organisation that works with Pacific Island countries and territories to strengthen environmental management and promote sustainable development.
“A full week of meetings on cetacean conservation is the first regional contribution to the 2007 Year of the Dolphin Campaign developed by CMS” informed Mr. Asterio Takesy, Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), opening the first gathering in the series.
The week sees a number of different events, such as an outreach workshop - funded by the Ministry of Environment of Germany - to discuss the possible contribution of CMS in the Pacific region with a focus on cetacean conservation; the first meeting of the signatories to the CMS regional agreement for the protection of whale and dolphins, the SPREP meeting to review the related Action Plan, and an Australian-funded workshop on by-catch.
During an evening reception, the CMS Secretariat released for the first time the Year of the Dolphin poster and presented results and initiatives developed to date by the founding partners and supporters of the campaign and encouraged more countries to join.
In her presentation, Ms Paola Deda, Inter-Agency Liaison Officer, CMS Secretariat, stressed the unique character of the campaign which gathers UN agencies, such as UNEP and UNESCO in addition to CMS and CMS cetacean agreements, the private sector, represented by the leading tourism group TUI, and non-governmental organizations such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), and several governments.
“The YoD is a true partnership across boundaries, like the animals we are committed to protect”, she said. “The kick-off of the campaign looks very promising and I hope to this initiative will flourish and found supporters in the Pacific region as well” added Ms. Deda.
A report prepared on the occasion of the First Meeting of the signatories to the CMS whale and dolphin agreement in the Pacific reminds that the region is home to several dolphin species, including the Risso’s dolphin, the Fraser’s dolphin, the pan-tropical spotted dolphin, the striped dolphin, the spinner dolphin, the rough-toothed dolphin and two species of the bottlenose dolphin. The report is available at:
www.wdcs.org
Note
CMS: The Convention on Migratory Species, an intergovernmental treaty developed under the aegis of UNEP, addresses key challenges and barriers to the migration of species, such as climate change, illegal taking and pollution and other threats to the survival of migratory animals. For more information visit: www.cms.int
SPREP: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is an intergovernmental organisation that works with Pacific Island countries and territories to strengthen environmental management and promote sustainable development.
