23 March 2026
We join the Instituto Baleia Jubarte (Humpback Whale Institute) to announce today the publication of Espaços Vivos, the Portuguese translation of MAKING SPACE: The story of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) and how they help to protect whale habitats. Printed copies of Espaços Vivos, translated by Brazilian conservationist José Truda Palazzo, Jr., are being handed out this week at the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) CoP15 at the Bosque Expo in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
Today, opening day at CMS CoP15, Palazzo introduced Espaços Vivos at a side event highlighting spatial protection of marine turtles. The side event, organised by WWF, focused on Prioritizing Area-Based Conservation for Marine Turtles: Connectivity, Important Marine Turtle Areas and Achieving 30×30 and BBNJ Outcomes. The side event aims to push the idea of Important Marine Turtle Areas, or IMTAs, into the “policy seascape”. This follows the success of spatial tools that synthesized data for marine mammals, seabirds, and sharks and rays.
Espaços Vivos, and the original English edition called Making Space, provide a clear, concise pictorial guide to the IMMA tool which aims to spread the information about identified whale, dolphin and other marine mammal habitats to communities facing conservation challenges for our shared ocean. Comics artist Rozi Hathaway worked closely with IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force co-chair Erich Hoyt to produce this handy, visual booklet that tells the story of how IMMAs came to be and how they can help to make a healthier ocean for whales and humans.
Both Portuguese and English versions can be downloaded in PDF versions. More language edition will follow in the coming months, including Spanish, French, Italian, German, Thai and other versions.
About CMS COP 15, 23-29 March, 2026
CMS COP15 is being convened under the slogan “Connecting Nature to Sustain Life”. This theme highlights the vital role of ecological connectivity for conserving ecosystems, which are crucial both for migratory species and human well-being. The slogan also reflects linkages between ecological connectivity, the conservation of migratory species and climate change. CMS has adopted IMMAs as a valuable tool for marine conservation of migratory marine mammals and countries are encouraged to facilitate IMMA identification and implementation in their waters and on the high seas.
