ANNOUNCEMENT: ECS/ASCOBANS/ACCOBAMS WORKSHOP ON "SELECTION CRITERIA FOR MARINE PROTECTED AREAS FOR CETACEANS" to be held on Sunday 22 April 2007 at the 21st Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, San Sebastien, Spain, hosted by AZTI-Pasaia (web site: http://www.azti.es/ecs2007/home.htm).  It will take place in the Aquarium between 09:00 and 19:30 (with a 90' lunch and two 30' coffee breaks). There will be a fixed registration fee of 10¤/person for coffee & facilities.

Steering Committee: Peter Evans, Erich Hoyt, Sonia Mendes, Mandy McMath, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Ana Caņadas, and Simone
Panigada

Cetaceans are covered under different conventions or similar legal acts, e.g. HELCOM, UN Law of the Sea, OSPAR, the EU Habitats Directive, CMS, ASCOBANS and ACCOBAMS. Under certain of these international commitments, one of the means to protect small cetaceans is the establishment of protected areas.

Specific criteria/guidelines for the identification of sites important for small cetaceans are so far lacking. The purpose of this workshop is to analyze and discuss the development, the scope and appropriateness of possible criteria such as high-density areas, feeding or breeding sites, and migration corridors, including methods to identify those sites.

The workshop will explore the efficacy of Marine Protected Areas in conserving small cetaceans, drawing upon information on the criteria applied for indicating sites designated for the protection of small cetaceans for applied reasons of designation/sufficiency; and the results of existing research indicating important areas.

Those wishing to offer a 15-20 minute talk and/or attend this workshop, please contact Dr Peter Evans at <peter.evans@zoo.ox.ac.uk> BY 31 MARCH.

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Dr Peter G.H. Evans

Office: Sea Watch Foundation,
11 Jersey Road,
Oxford 0X4 4RT, UK
Tel: 44-(0)1865-717276

Home: Cynifryn,
Abershore, Llanfaglan,
Caernarfon,
Gwynedd LL54 5RA, UK
Tel: 01286-672071

Mobile: 0776-556-6102
E-mail: <peter.evans@zoo.ox.ac.uk>