PROGRESS REPORT ON IUCN WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WORK FROM JUNE 2009 TO JUNE 2010

摘要

The Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel (WGWAP), which is convened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has held two formal meetings since SC/61. These were WGWAP-7 in Geneva, 11-14 December 2009, and WGWAP-8 in Geneva, 16-18 April 2010. As previously, the work of WGWAP has consisted primarily of: (a) reviewing and commenting on western gray whale field research and monitoring work sponsored by Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (also known as Sakhalin Energy); and (b) carryingout a variety of collaborative tasks with company-sponsored scientists and other outside experts within the context of task forces. Increasingly, in recognition that much oil and gas activity by other companies takes place in the region, the panel alsocomments on the potential additive and cumulative effects of that activity on western gray whales. Besides the two panel meetings, three task force meetings took place over the last year, all in Geneva immediately preceding the WGWAP meetings. The Photo-identification Task Force met on 8-9 December 2009 and the Seismic Survey Task Force met on 6-8 December 2009 and 13 14 April 2010.