Marine protected areas for whales, dolphins, and porpoises: a world ...

Habitat Protection for Cetaceans around the World 201
Notes and rationale For more information
• Proposed in 2003 by the German Federal Agency for Nature • Contact: WDCS
Conservation as an SAC under the EU Habitats and Species Directive Deutschland;
(DE 1209-301). email: info.de@wdcs.org;
• Rationale for protection is that this is the largest known concentration web: www.wdcs-de.org;
of harbor porpoises in German waters (porpoise population also:
estimated at 4000–6500). It also has a reef habitat and typical www.habitatmare
sandbank. natura2000.de
• Proposed as SAC under the EU Habitats and Species Directive • Contact: WDCS
(DE 2104-301). Deutschland;
• Rationale for protection is that this area is a flat sandbank with reef email: info.de@wdcs.org;
areas; harbor porpoises live in the area year-round and may belong to web: www.wdcs-de.org;
small western North Sea population (centred off the coast of The also:
Netherlands). www.habitatmare
natura2000.de
• Established June 1991, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary is a • Berrow, 2001;
large refuge or sanctuary comprising the entire national waters of Berrow and Petch, 1998;
Ireland with a ban on hunting cetaceans. Berrow and Rogan, 1997;
• Created with great optimism, the sanctuary has led to increased Berrow et al, 2002; Evans,
awareness and research into cetaceans, but the level of cetacean 1980; Hoyt, 2001; Rogan
and ecosystem protection could be greatly increased through real and Berrow, 1995
management as an MPA, perhaps along the lines of a biosphere • Contact: Simon Berrow;
reserve with highly protected core areas for cetacean critical habitats. email:
simon.berrow@iwdg.ie
• Emer Rogan, Dept of
Zoology, University College
Cork, Prospect Row, Cork,
Ireland;
email: e.rogan@ucc.ie
• Irish Whale and Dolphin
Group;
web: www.iwdg.ie
• See also references (some
of which may be
downloaded as PDFs) at
www.iwdg.ie/
downloads.asp?cat=26 and
www.iwdg.ie/
categories.asp?cat=51
• First proposed as an MPA in 1995; in 1999, the area was officially • Berrow, 2000; Berrow and
nominated as an SAC under the EU Habitats and Species Directive Holmes, 1999; Berrow et al,
(1992) and is now in the process of designation. 1996; Brady Shipman
• Rationale for protection is that this is a prime area with an estuarine Martin et al, 1999; IWDG,
ecosystem which serves as a mating, breeding and feeding ground 2000
for a resident population of bottlenose dolphins. • Contact: Simon Berrow;
• Dolphin watching is popular with this population; management email: sdwf@oceanfree.net
strategies are discussed in Case Study 6. • Irish Whale and Dolphin
Group;
web: www.iwdg.ie;
www.shannondolphins.ie