26 Oct. 2020. “Introducing Important Marine Mammal Areas” is the first in a package of six free webinars conducted via Zoom, and offers an opportunity to ask questions to the scientists who lead the research. For more information and to log in, go to: www.gobi.org/webinars.
The schedule for the webinars is as follows:
- WEDNESDAY 28 OCT. 2020 – 2pm GMT / 3pm CET. Introducing Important Marine Mammal Areas
- 12 NOV. 2020 – time TBC. Here, there and everywhere: migratory connectivity in the ocean
- 26 NOV. 2020 – time TBC. The utility of seabird tracking data to inform Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas
- 8 DEC. 2020 – time TBC. Bioregionalisation of the Indian and southern Pacific Oceans
- 13 JAN. 2021 – time TBC. The Costa Rica Thermal Dome – international cooperation in areas beyond national jurisdiction
- 28 JAN. 2021 – 4pm GMT / 11am EST. Protecting biodiversity at deep-sea hydrothermal vents
IMMAs are discrete portions of habitat, important for marine mammal species, that have the potential to be delineated and managed for conservation. IMMAs are not marine protected areas but layers that can be used in spatial planning or for other area-based management actions.
In total, 159 IMMAs now cover the e-Atlas across most of the southern hemisphere and parts of the northern hemisphere. In addition, 24 areas remain as cIMMAs and 128 are listed as AoI. Both cIMMAs and AoI are seen as potential future IMMAs.
IMMAs are determined without political or socioeconomic considerations as part of a robust, peer-review process; they are biocentric tools, the marine mammal equivalent of important bird and biodiversity areas (IBAs) devised by BirdLife International.
The IMMA Webinar will feature presentations by Task Force Co-chairs Erich Hoyt and Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara and teaming up with Simone Panigada from the IMMA Secretariat for questions and answers.
Tune into the GOBI Webinar to learn more about how IMMAs are being used for conservation around the world.
