As UNEP commemorates its 50th anniversary, ASCOBANS – the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North-East Atlantic Irish and North Seas – an important specialized environmental treaty that we are so proud is part of the UNEP family – marks 30 years of its existence. 30 years of fostering effective international collaboration for the conservation of small cetaceans in European seas. 30 years of supporting international action grounded in science. 30 years of protecting species from the onslaught of human activity. 30 years of demonstrating that transboundary action for the environment can unify governments and people.
But as with all milestones, the 30th anniversary of the ASCOBANS, is an important opportunity to reflect on how we must move full speed ahead to tackle the impacts of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, of biodiversity loss, of pollution and waste. And move full speed ahead we must, because as the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently made clear, at only 1.1 degrees Celsius of global warming we are seeing dangerous disruptions across the natural world. Anthropogenic pressures such as bycatch, noise pollution, chemical pollution, and overfishing threaten many small cetacean populations. At the recently concluded fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly, Member States agreed to begin negotiations towards a legally-binding global agreement to end plastic pollution. Such a historic agreement could undoubtedly have a positive impact on marine mammals including small cetaceans- Whales, dolphins, and porpoises – who are in turn, key sentinel species, telling us about the state of the environment and our oceans.
So, bravo to ASCOBANS on this important milestone! We at UNEP and under the auspices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), look forward to supporting ASCOBANS in demonstrating that international cooperation to protect the natural world is indeed possible, and is a powerful tool to improve the lives of people and the planet we call home.
