It is my pleasure to share the following news with the
Marmam community:
For its extraordinary contributions to marine mammal
science, policy, and conservation, the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission has been
awarded a 2010 Distinguished Service Award by the Society for Conservation
Biology (SCB). SCB is the leading international professional society in the
field of biodiversity conservation, with more than 10,000 members in 128
countries.
The Marine Mammal Commission was created under the Marine
Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and over its nearly four decades has influenced
countless marine mammal and habitat initiatives, including
·
Supporting and guiding research leading to
groundbreaking discoveries in marine mammal population dynamics, behavior,
physiology, and habitat use;
·
Helping to lead the scientific and diplomatic
initiatives that resulted in the global ban on high seas driftnet fisheries;
·
Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in
the 1980s to create a new, interdisciplinary model of endangered species
recovery team for the Florida manatee – a model now widespread in the
U.S. for both marine and terrestrial species recovery teams;
·
Clarifying in its early years a balance between
science and values in the development of the U.S. position favoring a global
ban on commercial whaling – a position later adopted by the U.S. and the
International Whaling Commission;
·
Supporting and promoting critical research on
Antarctic ecology, and then playing an instrumental role in U.S. contributions
to the establishment of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine
Living Resources; and
·
Making countless contributions to science and
management initiatives in marine mammal programs in every corner of the U.S.
and in many foreign countries.
The Commission’s contributions reflect the proactive
approach and critical judgments and analyses of its staff, commissioners, and
advisors over the entirety of its history. The Commission continues to be
instrumental in advancing science-based conservation, and marine species and
ecosystems have benefited greatly from such a stalwart champion.
For more information on the Marine Mammal Commission, please
visit www.mmc.gov.
For more information on SCB, please visit www.conbio.org.
--
Richard
L. Wallace, Ph.D.
Associate
Professor
Environmental
Studies Program
Ursinus
College
P.O.
Box 1000
Collegeville,
PA 19426
(610)
409-3730
(610)
409-3660 fax