Sixth Meeting of the Parties to ACCOBAMS and 20th Anniversary of the Signing of the Agreement

The sixth Meeting of the Parties to ACCOBAMS will take place from 22 to 25 November 2016 in Monaco.  The aim of this triennial meeting is to adopt measures to improve knowledge of cetaceans, reduce threats from human activities and enhance understanding and techniques among the State parties, in addition to collaboration with other international organisations.

24 November marks the celebration of the 20^th anniversary of ACCOBAMS, which, since it was first created, has brought together most of the States bordering the area* covered by the Agreement.

This Agreement is a legal tool for conserving biodiversity, based on cooperation.  Its aim is to reduce threats to cetaceans, in particular by improving the state of knowledge of these creatures.

At this meeting, the launch of the "ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative" project will be announced.  This campaign to assess populations of cetaceans and their distribution in the whole of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea by observers on specially equipped aircraft or ships has been made possible thanks to the MAVA Foundation and the commitment of all the ACCOBAMS countries.  It will provide reliable data that is harmonised at the regional level to increase knowledge of cetaceans and ensure their protection.

In particular, the following will be studied:  a joint protocol between the various international organisations for the management of cetacean strandings, the adoption of the principle of the systematic undertaking of independent impact studies prior to all work likely to generate underwater noise that could prove harmful to cetaceans, and decreasing the effects of interaction between cetaceans and human activities, such as fishing.

At this meeting, ACCOBAMS also hopes to encourage the State parties to implement its "High Quality Whale Watching®" label, a unique certification that guarantees respectful whale and dolphin watching in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

*The Zone covered by the Agreement consists of all the maritime waters of the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the adjacent Atlantic area situated to the west of the Strait of Gibraltar.  It includes the Pelagos Sanctuary for marine mammals in the north-western Mediterranean, which was established by France, Italy and Monaco.