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ACCOBAMS
Progressive steps forward to protect whales and
dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and
contiguous Atlantic Area
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The Convention on the Migratory Species, CMS

• Protects endangered migratory species
• Allows the establishment of specific Agreements

EUROBATS
AEWA
ASCOBANS
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The Agreement
Signed in 1996 and entered into force in 2001

• The Institutionnal Bodies
• Meeting of the Parties
• Permanent Secretariat
• Bureau
• Scientific Committee
• 2 Sub-Regional Coordination Units

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18 Contracting Parties
And a large partneship
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The main goals

• Grant full protection to cetaceans
• Prohibit deliberate takings
• Minimize adverse effects of Fisheries
• Prohibit drift nets whose individual or total
  length is more
• than 2.5 Km
• Prevent fishing gear from being discared or left
  adrift at sea
• Immediate release of cetaceans caught
  incidentally in
• fishing gear

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The main goals

• Impact assessment to provide a basis for either
  regulating or prohibiting the development of
  activities linked to
• Fishing
• Prospection and exploitation offshore
• Tourism, whale watching and scientific research
• Reinforce standards for discharges of pollutants

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The main goals

• Protection of habitats and vital areas
• capacity building
• research and monitoring programs
• common tools for collecting data and
  disseminating information
• emergency situations

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The Scientific Committee
- 5 experts of CIESM

• Regional Representatives from 4 sub-regions

- Representatives from 3 International
Organisations
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The ACCOBAMS Partner Status

• Conferred to NGOs who
• Have a statement of purpose that includes the
  Conservation of cetaceans or activities relevant
  to the Agreement
• Have experience in implementing partnerships
  ventures
• Are willing to actively contribute to the further
  development of the policies and tools of the
  Agreement through joint projects
• Respond to emergency situations

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The ACCOBAMS Partner Status
Among the most active partners
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
International Fund for Animal Welfare
Tethys Research Institute
Central Institute for Scientific and
Technological Research applied to the Sea
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Second Meeting of the Contracting Parties Palma
de Mallorca, 9/12 November 2004
New Bureau Croatia Romania Spain Tunisie

• More than 80 participants
• 16 riparian States
• European Commission
• IGOs and NGOs

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Working Program 2005 2007 11 priority actions

• Political decisions
• Socio-Economical aspects
• Science for Conservation
• Capacity Building

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Political decisions

• Strengthening the links with UNEP
• Delivery of research permits (derogations)
• Collaboration with Pelagos sanctuary Aggreement
• Strengthening bilateral and multilateral
  Cooperations

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Socio-economical aspects
NOISE in marine environment

• Impact assessment of the sources of
  anthropogenic noise including military activities
• Preparation of guidelines by the Scientific
  Committee

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Socio-economical aspects
FISHERIES Mitigate interactions

• Project in collaboration with European Community
  to reduce bycatch
• Regulation on the use of acoustic devices
• Conservation Plan for the Common Dolphin
  (Delphinus delphis)

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Science for Conservation

• Protected areas
• - principles for the Identification for key
  areas
• - Guidelines on management
• Abondance and distribution of cetaceans
• - Wide scale prospections
• Stranding networks and tissues banks

France-Italy-Monaco Croatia Georgia Spain
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Capacity Building
Educative Program
WDCS
Junior
Local communities
Field works on ACCOBAMS implementation for
scientists designated by their autorities
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The tasks

• ACCOBAMS helps Parties to
• Communicate with other Intergovernmental
  Organizations
• Liaise between the conservation and the
  exploitation of the living resources
• Provide conservation tools for their Natural
  Heritage
• Facilitate harmonization between the Ministries
• Set up a dialogue among socio economic sectors
  such as fisheries, maritime transports, tourism
• Meet the relevant commitments set by other
  global or regional instruments (UNCLOS, CBD,
  Barcelona, Bern, Bonn and Bucharest Conventions..)

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Publicizing
Strengthening the links with Partners and NGOs
WDCS IFAW Thethys
Public events and campaigns
Better publicize ACCOBAMS and its aims
Fundraising
Educational / Information material
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The International Sanctuary forMediterranean
Marine Mammals
PELAGOS
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1. Scientific findings
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Pelagos
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Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., M.C. Venturino, M.
Zanardelli, G. Bearzi, F. Borsani, B. Cavalloni,
E. Cussino, M. Jahoda, S. Airoldi. 1990.
Distribution and relative abundance of cetaceans
in the Central Mediterranean Sea. pp. 41-43 in
Proc. 4th Annual Meeting of the European Cetacean
Society, Palma de Mallorca, 2-4 March 1990.
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Why are cetaceans so abundant?
Oceanographic studies revealed the presence in
the area of a permanent frontal system, and
consequent upwellings of deep, nutrient-rich
waters.
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Such presence of nutrients at the surface allows
substantial primary productivity in the area, in
striking contrast with most of the Mediterranean
pelagic domain
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Meganyctiphanes norvegica the main Mediterranean
euphausiid
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• Conservation problems
• for Mediterranean cetaceans

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• Fishing
• Pollution
• hydrocarbons
• toxic chemicals
• noise
• Collisions
• Disturbance
• Global change

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Obstacles to the implementation of conservation
measures
Most of the habitat of these pelagic cetacean
species rests in international waters, beyond 12
n.m. from the coast.
In the Mediterranean Sea, where Exclusive
Economic Zones (up to 200 n.m. from the coast)
have not been created, management and
conservation of high seas resources are
problematic.
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Search for a solution
towards the end of the 1980s it had become
increasingly clear that novel initiatives in the
field of international law were necessary to
protect Mediterranean cetaceans
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Pelagos
A large protected area (about 87.000 km2),
including shallow coastal and deep pelagic
habitats, comprising the territorial waters of
France, Italy, and Monaco, and the Mediterranean
high seas.
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A brief history of the sanctuary

• Large numbers of carcasses of cetaceans by-caught
  in Italian pelagic driftnets are found in the
  Ligurian Sea (1988).
• Operazione Cetacei by Greenpeace Italy, under
  the scientific supervision of the Tethys Research
  Institute, presents the first evidence of the
  ecological importance of the Ligurian Sea for
  cetaceans (1989).
• ENPA collects signatures for a petition against
  driftnets (1989). Several Courts in Liguria
  confiscate the nets. The Minister of merchant
  marine emits several decrees (1989-90).
• The San Remo Rotary Club organises a seminar with
  the attendance of several Members of the Italian
  Parliament (1990).
• Several NGOs recur to the Administrative Court
  against the Ministry of merchant marine to ban
  driftnets (1990). The Court approves. The
  Ministry recurs to the Council of State, which
  upholds the Courts ruling fishermen blockade
  the Strait of Messina (1990).

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• The Minister of merchant marine delimits a
  triangle in the Ligurian Sea and decrees it
  offlimits to driftnetting, except for the (few)
  Ligurian vessels (1990, modified in 91 and 92).

• The Tethys Research Institute conceives and
  drafts Project Pelagos, for the creation of a
  Biosphere Reserve in the Ligurian-Corsican-Provenç
  al Basin, funded and promoted by the European
  Foundation Rotary for the Environment (1990).

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• Project Pelagos is presented in Monaco in the
  presence of Prince Rainier III (1991).
• France, Italy and Monaco sign a Declaration for
  the creation of an International Sanctuary for
  the protection of Mediterranean marine mammals,
  inspired by Project Pelagos (1993).
• Despite many obstacles and political changes in
  France and Italy, the technical work never stops
  and the sanctuary idea is revived in 1998.
• A formal Agreement among France, Italy and Monaco
  is signed in Rome on 25 November 1999 by
  Ministers Fautrier, Ronchi and Voynet.
• All Parties ratify the Agreement (2000 - 2001).
• The Sanctuary is inscribed in the list of SPAMIs
  (2001).
• From this date two Meeting of the Parties were
  held a Management Plan was adopted and Permanent
  Secretariat will be established in the coming
  months

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