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Preface
On behalf of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and
Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), it is a pleasure for
me to introduce this first general assessment of the status of the cetaceans of the Mediterranean Sea.
The ACCOBAMS Secretariat and the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation took this initiative following
the meeting of the ACCOBAMS Contracting Parties in Palma de Majorca in 2004 that specifically requested
the development of closer working relations between IUCN and ACCOBAMS in the frame of their Partnership
established since 2002.
We have chosen the theme of species population assessments to initiate our wider collaboration, building on the
presence of an IUCN representative within the ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee, and using the standardized
IUCN assessment criteria that have been used for many years under the Red Listing process that has been
widely accepted by International Conventions and by Governments and the scientific community as a clear
and standardized methodology for assessing population status and recording population trends.
ACCOBAMS convened the meeting of twelve experts from the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group, along with
individual experts from the ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee and RAC/SPA in March 2006, to assess the
known status of the 10 species of cetaceans known to be regular in the region and the present report is a result
of that work.
This is a first step to establishing an agreed regional baseline against which population changes can be
measured at a regional scale. The ACCOBAMS Secretariat will be submitting this report to the ACCOBAMS
Scientific Committee in November 2006 with a view to seeking its recommendations on how this report can
serve the needs of the Agreement and its Parties.
I am pleased to acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Monaco and the CMS Secretariat,
as well as of the Junta of Andalucia and the Ministry for Environment of Spain that support the work of IUCN-
Med.
Marie-Christine VAN KLAVEREN
ACCOBAMS Executive Secretary
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