Legend has it that the ancient Greek singer Arion, returning from Sicily to his native Corinth, was forced to leap into the sea by the crew of his ship, who sought to rob and kill him. Arion survived, however, saved by a dolphin that allowed him to climb onto its back and carried him safely back to shore. The robbers were later brought to justice, Arion and the dolphin elevated to the stars by Apollo.

There may be more than one lesson to be learned from this story. I am quoting it here, however, because it illustrates the close link that has existed between dolphins and humans from time immemorial, while at the same time making us painfully aware of how this relationship has changed since the days of Magna Graecia: today, it is the dolphins who are in need of protection by (and from) humankind rather than the other way around. And the story reveals yet another important fact about dolphins: the legend goes that the dolphin deposited Arion near Cape Matapan in Greece. If we assume (though admittedly this is pure conjecture) that the sailors forced Arion overboard somewhere close to Sicily, the musician and the dolphin would have crossed what are today the national boundaries of  Italy and Greece en route. And indeed, this is exactly what most species of dolphins do – they migrate across national boundaries. For this reason, their effective protection requires international cooperation.

This is where the Bonn Convention (CMS) and its specialized regional agreements come in: they are the only international legal instruments devoted specifically to the protection of migratory species. As the Executive Secretary of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS), which predates ACCOBAMS by five years and focuses on the northern European regional seas, I was very gratified when our sister Agreement ACCOBAMS entered into effect in 2001, thereby promoting the conservation of cetaceans in the waters to the south of Europe also. Today, it is a great pleasure for me to be able to congratulate ACCOBAMS and its Executive Secretary, Marie-Christine Van Klaveren - who, through her tireless activity, has come to personify the Agreement she heads - on the Agreement’s tenth anniversary. If ACCOBAMS did not exist it would surely need to be invented. Our two contiguous agreements provide a vital regime for cetacean conservation in large portions of Europe’s regional seas. In cooperation with their mother Convention, CMS, they are working to ensure the survival of cetaceans the world over.     

It is with this aim in mind that CMS, ACCOBAMS and ASCOBANS have forged a strong alliance with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and the corporate sector in declaring 2007 the Year of the Dolphin. Dolphins face many man-made threats. For some species, these threats could ultimately lead to extinction. Under the patronage of H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Year of the Dolphin campaign will involve governments,

NGOs and the private sector worldwide to raise and broaden awareness of these issues. The intelligence, beauty and charisma of dolphins have inspired humankind since ancient times and made them an element of our cultural as well as of our natural heritage. Losing these species would mean losing a part of ourselves. Promoting widespread awareness of the threats they face is a crucial step towards preventing this loss. I look forward to cooperating with the other members of the CMS family and with our partners in this important and exciting initiative. Together we will work towards ensuring that dolphins will continue to populate not only our legends but also our seas. I am confident that 2007 will be a good year for dolphins and a most interesting one for all those who share our fascination for these elegant denizens of the deep.

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