World Wildlife Fund

Sue Lieberman

Posted 14 July 2008, 4.39 PM
Hi everyone. My name is Sue Lieberman and I am Director of WWF's Global Species Programme, based in Gland, Switzerland.

I am really pleased to be blogging this week, having recently returned from Santiago, Chile, where I was attending the International Whaling Commission (IWC) 60th meeting as head of WWF's delegation. My plan is to share my diary from the pre-meetings to closing, giving an insider view of the WWF event which resulted in an incredible demonstration of political commitment at the highest levels, to secure the habitats that are so crucial for the survival of whales and all of the ocean species.

As I write this, the IWC is at a crossroads and the world is watching - by this I mean the future of both the IWC and the world's whales are in the balance. The good news is that following this meeting the IWC is willing to re-examine its role in whale conservation, for a future that is much more constructive than a continuing deadlock on commercial whaling. But we are concerned this is a process that might take too long for some threatened whale and dolphin species, particularly while so-called 'scientific' whaling continues unabated.

I look forward to hearing your comments and hope you enjoy reading my blog.
Thanks - Sue.

Posted 14 July 2008, 7.32 PM

Sue's update on the IWC pre-meetings, June 16 -20, 2008:
During the week leading up to the IWC Plenary Meeting there were a number of 'pre-meetings' which WWF was involved in. This was an exciting time as there were also big announcements and attention to marine species conservation.

Some of the highlights included an announcement of an $80 million plan from the government of Mexico to save the vaquita, for which WWF offices have been active in this effort; a proposal to form a whale watching group within the IWC was endorsed by the Conservation Committee, along with a $25,000 financial contribution by Australia; WWF launched a new report on climate change and whales in the Antarctic 'Are whales really in hot water'; and from discussion and awareness raising throughout the week, a highly endangered population of southern right whales of Chile-Peru received considerable attention.

What was to come was a very interesting week, including a fundamental step forward when for the first time in thirty years, Non-governmental organizations were allowed to address the commission. As my colleague Dr. Mamadou Diallo from WWF's West Africa office noted 'This opportunity has allowed us to effectively highlight the biggest problems in out regions'.

Posted 15 July 2008, 2.28 PM

Sue's update on Day 1 of the IWC meeting, June 23, 2008:

Monday, June 23rd 2008, was the opening session of the Plenary of IWC60. Opened by Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Alejandro Foxley, this is the first time an IWC meeting has taken place in South America for almost quarter of a century. The Minister's attendance really highlighted the significance of the meeting to Chile, and it was valuable to hear him emphasize the importance of the participation of civil society in the IWC due to their involvement and role in research and conservation. Something WWF has been lobbying for.

What followed was good news as the Chilean Environment Minister, Ms. Ana Lya Uriarte, announced the Chilean Government's intention to declare the Chilean territory free of whaling and declare 43 cetacean species as 'natural monuments'. The Moratorium on whaling declared by Chile until 2025 will be indefinitely extended. Although Chile isn't a whaling country anyhow, it was still important and well received in Chile as a sign of support for conservation. The Minister also highlighted the importance of conservation and the need to develop actions to reduce climate change, an issue that WWF worked hard to promote at this IWC meeting (and one we work really hard on around the world).

During Day 1, of particular interest was the issue and discussion around a Scientific Committee report about the status of a number of large whale stocks, including the Antarctic minke whales, the Western North Pacific gray whale, and the North Atlantic right whale among others. Special attention was paid to the status of the endangered western North Pacific gray whale, whose feeding grounds coincide with oil and gas development off Sakhalin Island in Russia. The population is about 120 whales and the Committee agreed that any additional deaths, such as in bycatch (that recently occurred) threatened the survival of the population. The IWC agreed to work with countries to try to mitigate threats to this endangered population, caused by humans.

Posted 16 July 2008, 12.22 PM

Sue's update on Day 2 of the IWC meeting and the WWF Side Event, June 24, 2008

News from Day 2 of the meeting included the announcement that Tanzania joined the IWC, meaning there are now 81 members. We are concerned though that Tanzania may support whaling. Uruguay, another new member, made an opening statement referring to its priorities for conservation and sustainable development of marine resources for future generations to share. They then announced legislation which has protected marine mammals (sea lions, whales and dolphins) from poaching and bycatch. It was great to see Uruguay at the meeting, joining the coalition of Latin American countries, all of which now support whale conservation. WWF is working hard to see Colombia join the IWC as well, which we hope will happen by next year's meeting.

A WWF side event was held this evening to celebrate the importance of marine protected areas for the conservation of whales and dolphins. Attended by almost 200 people, the event was headlined by the Australian Minister of Environment, the Chilean Minister of Environment, the Costa Rica Minister of Environment, the New Zealand Minister of Conservation, and the UK Minister of Environment, and included a representative from the Colombian Government.

I was fortunate enough to speak alongside the Ministers as they all spoke in strong support of whale and marine habitat protection. Almost all the Ministers stressed the importance of climate change to whales - and Peter Garret, the Australian Minister, quoted the newly released WWF report 'Icebreaker' which reveals the extent of the climate change impacts on whales in the Antarctic - where 80% of the world's whales feed. In connection with the event, and through their wider conservation dialogue with the Chilean Government, both Australia and New Zealand announced ongoing support to whale and marine habitat conservation initiatives in Chile - commitments WWF hopes to engage with.

Following the seminar we launched a photography exhibition, organized by the WWF offices in Colombia and Chile. The exhibit will appear for one month in la Moneda Cultural center before starting a tour in different cities in Chile and Colombia. The event was a unique opportunity to strengthen cooperation between all these governments to support efforts to declare a network of marine protected areas for the conservation of whales alongside the Eastern Pacific. The dedication to whale conservation demonstrated by the 6 governments here is an extremely good sign that the IWC can have a positive future role in the conservation of the world's whales, dolphins and porpoises.