10 March 2008 - Australia’s
proposals to strengthen global whale protection
will be a key feature of the
International Whaling
Commission’s annual meeting in Chile this
June.
The Rudd Government’s
constructive proposals to modernise the
Commission attracted strong support from
many member nations and non-government organisations
at the intersessional meeting in London
over the past week.
One argument in particular
struck a chord: that the unilateral killing
of whales in the name of ‘science’ remains
the greatest barrier to the Commission moving
forward.
While the London intersessional
was not a decision-making meeting, Australia’s
delegation tabled substantial proposals
to bring the IWC into the 21st century,
with a focus clearly and squarely on whale
conservation.
First, Australia put
the case for agreed conservation management
plans to make real progress in protecting
whale populations, many still struggling
to recover from decades of unfettered commercial
hunting. The meeting identified two species
as priorities: the North-West Pacific grey
whale and the Southern Hemisphere southern
right whale.
Secondly, Australia
proposed a system of regional collaborative
research partnerships, working together
with other IWC nations to share good science
and improve whale conservation, management
and recovery. Australia will now bring forward
a proposal for a Southern Ocean Regional
Research Program to the IWC’s Chile meeting.
Third, we argued for
the wholesale reform of the highly divisive
scientific permit process – the loophole
that allows the unilateral killing of whales
in the name of science. We want all scientific
research under the IWC assessed against
priorities and criteria agreed by the IWC,
not selfallocated by individual countries.
Australia believes that
IWC members have a genuine opportunity to
transform the Commission into a 21st century
conservation body.
While we understand
significant reforms cannot be achieved overnight,
this past week’s meeting is a vital step
forward. The Australian Government will
spare no effort in its long-term commitment
to a new course in whale conservation.
Margot Marshall
