Dear MARMAMers, Not all of you may be aware of this meeting yet, which is being organised 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 Email: hfrisch@cms.int <mailto:hfrisch@cms.int> Tel. +49 228 8152418 Fax: +49 228 8152449
