On the 13th of April, the Marine Mammal Twinning hosted a training webinar in collaboration with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Protected Area Network (WIOMPAN) to MPA and marine mammal practitioners in the Western Indian Ocean.
The webinar was a great opportunity to introduce the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit, a capacity building resource aimed at empowering marine mammals and MPA practitioners to understand how well marine mammals are considered in MPA management plans. After a presentation on the Toolkit’s components (Factsheets, Self-Assessment Tool, Community of Practice and Good Practices), with a call to join the newly created Community of Practice mailing group, participants assisted to a guided use of the Self-Assessment Tool, and to a case study of the application of the Toolkit in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (USA).
Agenda
- Welcoming and housekeeping remarks
- Introduction of co-hosts:
- Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) – Arthur Tuda (WIOMSA)
- Western Indian Ocean Marine Protected Area Network (WIOMPAN) – Karine Pothin (WIOMPAN)
- EU-Ocean Governance Project – Purificacio Canals (Ocean Governance)
- The Importance of Marine Mammals in the Western Indian Ocean – Dr Nina Wambiji (Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute) [PDF]
- Introduction of the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit – Anna Safryghin (Marine Mammal Twinning) [PDF]
- Guided Use of the Self-Assessment Tool and SAT-Lite – Thomas Dallison (Marine Mammal Twinning) [PDF]
- Testimonial of the Application of the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary – Benjamin Haskell (NOAA) [PDF]
- Questions-and-Answers Session
- Concluding Remarks & Next Steps
The webinar recording is available below, and can also be found on the Marine Mammal Twinning Youtube Channel