Muscat, June 15
In a rare convergence of international scientists, environmental leaders and policymakers, Oman played host last week to a groundbreaking workshop focused on protecting one of the world’s most endangered and isolated whale populations — the Arabian Sea humpback whale.
The workshop was considered the start of efforts to develop a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the population, which is isolated to the Arabian Sea and listed as Endangered under the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species.
The workshop facilitated regional collaboration, particularly between Oman and India, guiding the convergence of national conservation efforts into a regional framework. This process is supported by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in conjunction with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), platforms with a conservation agenda that will allow the plan to be adopted by all range states boarding the Arabian Sea.
“The scientific community has built a strong foundation of knowledge over the past 25 years,” said Suaad al Harthy of the Environment Society of Oman. “The CMP efforts now support the aspirations for development of government policy and regional collaboration.”
During the workshop participants also examined past and ongoing threat mitigation strategies and reflected on international legal instruments and regional initiatives that could support the CMP’s development. A special focus was placed on Masirah, which is internationally recognised as an “Important Marine Mammal Area” and home to what is considered to be the most important Arabian Sea humpback whale habitat in Oman.
The three-day gathering has resulted in a shared vision for marine mammal protection in the region. Stakeholders aim to engage more actively in marine mammal monitoring and conservation and draft a non-binding CMP agreement between Oman and India that paves the way for a wider regional CMP under the auspices of the IWC and CMS.
“Scientific teams from around the region have been identifying threats and advocating for protection of this population as a matter of urgency” commented Dr Andrew Willson from Future Seas. “The threats from human activities throughout this population’s range are rapidly accelerating and the whales are faced with the cumulative impacts of multiple stressors."
Collaboration between scientists, government and industry is the only way to tackle these multiple threats. The interest shown by the shipping industry to support the management plan is truly encouraging and demonstrates concern and willingness of industry to navigate carefully through sensitive areas”. This sentiment was best captured by Captain Wolfram Guntermann, representing the World Shipping Council, who very simply stated, “The life of an endangered whale is priceless”.
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