Marine mammals are species that spend the majority of their lives in or near the sea and include whales, dolphins, manatees and dugongs, sea otters, seals and even polar bears. Many species of marine mammals are threatened world-wide. Culling, direct and accidental catch, coastal development, habitat alteration and degradation, pollution and ocean noise constitute the main threats.
They are subject to the provisions of Articles 65 (which sets out the rights and duties of States in the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and 120 (which sets out the rights and duties of States in the high seas) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Marine mammal conservation is a cross-cutting issue relevant to several Multilateral Environmental Agreements especially the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna ( CITES), the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
More...
