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Conservation Management Plans:
raising awareness at all levels

Today sees a welcome spotlight shone on the IWC’s Conservation Management Plan (CMP) initiative as the first issue of an official newsletter is published.

Established in 2008, the CMP programme provides a framework for countries within the geographic range of vulnerable cetacean populations to work together, and in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders, to protect and rebuild those populations.

The CMP Deep Dive newsletter introduces the four existing CMPs, and highlights some of the work of CMP co-ordinators over the last 12 months, including a successful entanglement response workshop in Argentina, and the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between Chile and Peru to prioritise actions for a critically endangered population of southern right whales.  

Cetaceans face an array of threats including fishing bycatch, entanglement, ship strikes, habitat loss, pollution, climate change and acoustic disturbance.  The IWC is uniquely placed to provide the best available science and management expertise from the international community.  The flexible CMP framework has been developed to deliver tailored and effective support to at-risk cetacean populations all over the world.

The four CMPs already in operation are for the Western North Pacific Gray Whale, the Western South Atlantic Southern Right Whale, the Eastern South Pacific Southern Right Whale, and the Franciscana dolphin (the first CMP for a small cetacean species). 

The CMP Deep Dive newsletter aims to improve the visibility and reach of the CMP programme at all levels: international, regional, national and local, and from policy makers and scientists to anyone with an interest in cetacean health and conservation.

Click here to read CMP Deep Dive Issue 1.

Click here to read more background on CMPs.