Hi, Everyone, We are pleased to invite you to a webinar on our IMMA work and where we go from here. There will be an extended Q & A period. New OCTO Webinar: Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs): Giving marine mammals a seat at the negotiating table (March 11) Presented by: Erich Hoyt, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Gill Braulik, and Simone Panigada of the IMMA Secretariat of the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force Date/Time: Tuesday, March 11, Noon US EDT/9 am US PDT/4 pm UTC/5 pm CET <https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lPob29tpR36rT3yUdw13PA> Description: Important Marine Mammal Areas, or IMMAs, are making waves for conservation as a valuable science-based tool that highlights the most important areas and habitats for marine mammals globally. This webinar will provide an overview of the 10-year program to bring expert analysis and peer review to the identification of the habitats of whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees, dugong, sea otters, and polar bears. To date, the global IMMA effort has examined 80% of the ocean and identified 321 IMMAs and 196 Areas of Interest. Governments are now using IMMA layers for marine spatial planning and designing MPAs, and conservation groups, shipping companies, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are using IMMAs to slow down or reroute vessels to reduce the risk of shipstrikes. This webinar will spotlight 43 new IMMAs for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and Wider Caribbean; show how IMMAs can be used for many ocean planning and conservation initiatives; and discuss where IMMAs are going in 2025 and beyond. Hosted by: OCTO and the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lPob29tpR36rT3yUdw13PA Join us! Erich For Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara and Erich Hoyt, cochairs; Gill Braulik and Simone Panigada, deputy chairs Erich Hoyt | Co-Chair IUCN Joint SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force www.marinemammalhabitat.org <https://www.marinemammalhabitat.org/> erich.hoyt@imma-network.org <mailto:erich.hoyt@imma-network.org> ErichHoyt <https://twitter.com/ErichHoyt> mpaman <skype:mpaman?chat> This e-mail transmission is intended only for the addressee (s) indicated above. It may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Any review, dissemination or use of this transmission or its contents by persons other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please be so kind to contact us by e-mail at the mail (privacy@imma-network.org <mailto:privacy@imma-network.org>) and delete the message from your server. 
