2021/010: Request for National Documents on Marine Wildlife Watching
The Secretariat is assisting the Scientific Council to implement aspects of its mandate arising from the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP13), and discussed at the recently concluded 5th Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC5).
In Decision 13.68, the Scientific Council is requested to develop guidelines on recreational in-water interactions with CMS-listed species, including a recommended code of conduct for operators.
Acting on guidance from ScC-SC5, the Secretariat is in the process of contracting a consultant to draft these guidelines. As such, we would appreciate receiving from Parties the following information, requested in Decision 13.66:
- Parties are requested to provide the Secretariat with copies of the relevant documents for any measures as described in paragraph 1 of Resolution 12.161 Recreational In-Water Interaction with Aquatic Mammals that they have adopted regarding recreational in-water interactions with aquatic mammals or other CMS-listed species, in addition to that already collected in Annex 2 to UNEP/CMS/COP13/Doc.26.2.5. Kindly send the relevant documents via email to the Secretariat by 15 September 2021, as the work on Decision 13.68 a) will begin in September 2021.
- Parties are requested to provide the Secretariat with copies of the relevant documents for any measures that they have adopted as described in paragraph 1 of Resolution 11.292 (Rev.COP12) Sustainable Boat-based Marine Wildlife Watching. Kindly send the relevant documents via email to the Secretariat also by 15 September 2021.
For questions and additional information, please contact Ms. Melanie Virtue, Head of CMS Aquatic Species Team, [email protected].
1 Urges Parties, in whose areas of jurisdiction recreational in-water interactions with aquatic mammals take place, to adopt appropriate measures, such as national guidelines, codes of conduct, and if necessary, national legislation, binding regulations or other regulatory tools, to address the consequences of, and carefully regulate, all such activities;
2 Urges Parties, in whose areas of jurisdiction commercial operations involving marine boatbased wildlife watching take place, to adopt appropriate measures, such as national guidelines, codes of conduct, and if necessary, national legislation, binding regulations or other regulatory tools, to promote ecologically sustainable wildlife watching;
Last updated on 02 August 2021
