Community of Practice

Welcome to the Community of Practice of the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit.

The Community of Practice has been designed to create and support a network of MPA managers, practitioners and stakeholders who are working with marine mammals and MPAs. By building upon and supporting the resources and tools provided by the factsheets, self-assessment tool, and good practices, the Community of Practice promotes important collaboration and knowledge exchange opportunities between its members whilst strengthening and building capacities, all of which aid in improved management and conservation actions for marine mammals through local, national and transboundary MPAs.

Members

The Community of Practice brings together marine users from around the globe with the common goal of ensuring that marine mammals are effectively protected within marine policy frameworks. Members can identify and network with fellow MPA and marine mammal experts, access the Toolkit’s technical resources and obtain support and guidance from mentors, ultimately sustaining the growth of the Community of Practice.

Join the Community of Practice

Joining the Community of Practice is voluntary, with members participating in the community by sharing knowledge, resources, and good practices regarding the management of marine mammals and MPAs. This will foster collaboration with fellow members, encouraging the sharing of successes and failures, challenges in management and solutions.

If you are an MPA manager, practitioners and/or expert working with marine mammals and would like to join the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit Community of Practice, and be part of this global network of MPAs, click the button below.

Benefits

Global MPA Network

Members will join a global network of MPA users, conservation practitioners and those interested in the conservation of marine mammal – gaining access to critical opportunities for networking and collaboration, facilitating – transboundary – cooperation.

Technical Support

Members will receive support across all elements of the Toolkit, including the Community of Practice, and Self-Assessment Tool, further bolstered by access to a range of resources (factsheets, good practices), enhancing technical capacity and knowledge, resulting in greater management and conservation.

Mentorship

The Community of Practice hosts an mentorship programme, available to all members. Mentors are composed of MPA managers, policy makers, and Twinning partners, who were central to the development of the toolkit whilst holding vital knowledge and case studies on management practices, within and around MPAs, for effective marine mammal conservation.

Affiliation

The Community of Practice has its own logo, providing the opportunity for members to show their affiliation with the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit. The logo demonstrates that active efforts are being applied within the MPA for the conservation of marine mammals – a valuable communication tool for MPA managers.

Send us a photo of the logo being displayed!

Objectives

Through knowledge sharing, capacity building, networking and mentorship the Community of Practice aims to:

Increase effective MPA management of marine mammals
Facilitate transboundary MPA management
Build technical capacity of its members and their ability to manage challenges in respect to MPAs and marine mammals
Create a global network of MPA practitioners
Ensure marine mammals are better protected within the policy framework