Towards a regional cetacean action plan
IndoCet members led a one-hour session that made the case for a regional cetacean action plan that could be hosted under the Nairobi Convention. This side event held at the recent Conference of the Parties to the Nairobi Convention (COP12) in Dar es Salaam earlier this month.
The sessions included presentations by Tim Collins, who looked at why a plan is needed and how existing frameworks could support regional action, including the proposed IWC Indian Ocean Sanctuary Management Plan, CMS, the IOTC and the IMO. Shanan Atkins presented the HuDoNet Action Plan which could be nested within a regional framework and Andrew Willson presented the CMS/IWC Conservation Management Plan for Arabian Sea humpback whales, as an example of how regional plans have been developed elsewhere.
Presentations covered some of the main threats to cetaceans in the region, including bycatch, particularly in gillnets, and shipping, including underwater noise and vessel strike. The gaps in data and in impact assessment that make these threats hard to manage were discussed. The proposed next steps are to form a drafting group and to prepare a draft action plan and roadmap for consideration at COP13. IndoCet members’ knowledge will be central to this.
Read the outcome statements from the Regional cetacean action plan.
