10 September 2008 -
Australia and New Zealands leadership in
whale conservation has been strengthened
following talks between the two
governments in New Zealand today.
Australian Environment
Minister, Peter Garrett and New Zealand
Conservation Minister, Steve Chadwick, said
a focus of their talks was the development
of a research initiative in the Southern
Ocean.
"Whaling over the
last two centuries has seen a dramatic reduction
in whale numbers in our region and whale
populations now also face increased environmental
threats, particularly the impacts of climate
change," the Ministers said.
"Just recently
the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) reassessed the South Pacific
humpback whale as endangered, thanks in
part to research undertaken by Australian
and New Zealand experts," Ms Chadwick
said.
"We are seeking
to increase the global commitment to non-lethal
research to better manage the recovery of
whales," Mr Garrett said.
Ms Chadwick said a new,
non-lethal research initiative in the Southern
Ocean would build on the innovative and
collaborative approach Australia and New
Zealand have always brought to this area.
"These new research
efforts will provide further science on
which to build strategies, to ensure that
future generations are able to experience
these magnificent creatures," Ms Chadwick
said.
"Australia proposed
the creation of research partnerships across
the globe at the recent International Whaling
Commission (IWC) meeting in Chile. This
is part of our plan, widely supported at
the Commission, to modernise the IWC and
make it into a 21st Century conservation-focused
organisation, Mr Garrett said.
"I welcome New
Zealands commitment to being part of this
new approach, joining Chile with whom we
signed a Statement of Intent in June."
Ms Chadwick said it
was a pleasure to host Mr Garrett on a whale-watch
at Kaikoura, where the whale watching industry
is thriving after sperm whales there were
recognised by the Crown as a taonga.
"Reliable science
is extremely important to inform the sustainable
management of whale-watching, and to securing
the ongoing economic benefits which Australia,
New Zealand and other Pacific Island countries
experience," Ms Chadwick said.
Mr Garrett said Australia
would host a gathering of international
whale scientists in February 2009 to draft
a five-year research plan for whales in
the Southern Ocean.
"This plan will
be reviewed by the IWC Scientific Committee
and finalised in June 2009, with the research
programme expected to begin in the 2009-10
summer."
Australia and New Zealand
are very supportive of the reform plans
for the IWC, which are currently being considered
by a working group of 28 countries.
The Ministers said Australia
and New Zealand would continue to work together
to reform the management of science in the
IWC, including an end to so-called scientific
whaling and the development of internationally-agreed,
cooperative conservation management plans
for whales.
