WATCH: Western African Talks on Cetaceans and their Habitats

Meeting organized by the UNEP Convention on the Conservation of Migratory
Species of Wild Animals (CMS) as part of the Year of the Dolphin
campaign:

WATCH - Western African Talks on Cetaceans and their Habitats

WATCH is a series of scientific and inter-governmental meetings on
marine mammals that will take place in Adeje, Tenerife, Spain, during
the week of 16-20 October 2007.

WATCH will be divided in three main sessions:

1) A one-day session open to governments, institutions,
non-governmental organisations and the private sector to discuss threats
to and challenges for the conservation of cetaceans in the Eastern
Atlantic Ocean;

2) A one-day whale watching capacity building workshop to present
and discuss best practices in the region and worldwide, including a
whale watching tour;

3) A three-day negotiation session between the Range States (open
to invited observers) to agree on a Conservation and Action Plan for
Small Cetaceans in Western African Waters, and determine the scope and
format of a new CMS instrument for the Conservation of the West African
Manatee and Cetaceans of the Eastern Atlantic Basin.

More information on the background of CMS's initiative, the meeting and
logistics can be found at http://www.cms.int/species/waam/watch.htm,
which is regularly being updated.

For all queries, please contact:

Ms Heidrun Frisch

Marine Mammals Officer

UNEP/CMS Secretariat