The sixth meeting of the parties to ACCOBAMS will take place next week, from November 22 to 25 in Monaco. The objective of this triennial meeting is to adopt measures to improve cetacean knowledge, mitigate the threats of human activities and enhance knowledge and technology.
November 24 marks the celebration of the 20th anniversary of ACCOBAMS, which, since its inception, has brought together the great majority of states bordering the zone that stretches from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and the adjacent Atlantic Zone to the west of the Straits of Gibraltar. It includes the Pelagos Sanctuary for marine mammals in the north-western Mediterranean established by France, Italy and Monaco.
This Intergovernmental Agreement aims to reduce the threats to cetaceans, in particular by improving the state of knowledge of these animals. To this end, the launch of the “ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative” will be announced, a campaign to evaluate cetacean populations and their distribution throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea by observers embarked on specially equipped aircraft or on ships.
ACCOBAMS also wishes to encourage the participant countries to implement its “High Quality Whale Watching” label, the only certification guaranteeing respectful observation of whales and dolphins in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
READ MORE: Stelios fundraiser selfie challenge