Whales in a Changing Ocean
Whales contribute to ocean carbon capture & storage, helping to mitigate climate change (see the Fish Carbon report), but how is climate change affecting whales?
Registration is open for the Whales in a Changing Ocean Conference, a three-day event that will focus on emerging threats to Pacific whales, bringing together political decision-makers, scientists, community, industry and funders to investigate future legislative/research needs and design innovative ways of cooperating and collaborating.
While whales have recovered from the brink of extinction, they are at significant risk from a range of emerging threats, including entanglement, noise pollution, marine debris and climate change.
Recognising and managing these dangers is critical as they will ultimately affect everyone living in the Pacific.
This conference is part of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s (SPREP) two-year campaign to protect Pacific whales, and aims to:
- assess emerging threats to whales from changes occurring in our oceans
- review the ecosystem and economic value of whales in the Pacific Islands
- promote best practice whale watching throughout the region and explore innovative programmes underway around the world
- provide an update on the status and trends of whales in the Pacific Islands region
- bring together government representatives and senior officials to discuss future collaborations on the conservation of whales in the region, as a precursor to the review of SPREP’s marine species programme
- prepare a regional perspective for upcoming international fora, including the United Nations Oceans Conference in June.
