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ACCOBAMS
Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area
Type Multilateral
ContextCetacea conservation
Signed24 November 1996 (1996-11-24)
Location Monaco
Effective1 June 2001
ConditionRatification by seven range states
Parties
24 States
Depositary Government of Monaco
Languages

The Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area, or ACCOBAMS, is a regional international treaty that binds its States Parties on the conservation of Cetacea in their territories. The Agreement aims is to reduce threats to Cetaceans in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, as well as in the contiguous Atlantic area west of the Straits of Gibraltar. [1] [2] [3]

Bodies of the agreement

Meeting of the Parties

The Meeting of the Parties (MOP) is the main decision-making body of the Agreement. It meets triennially to review progress made towards the implementation of the Agreement, as well as any challenges this implantation faces. The MOP also adopts the budget for the Agreements and reviews scientific assessments on the conservation status of cetaceans of the Agreement area. Finally, at the MOP, member states also lay out the priorities for the next triennium.

Member states of the Agreement are automatically entitled to representation at the MOP and each have one vote. Additionally, organisations qualified in the conservation of cetaceans may also be represented by observers in the MOP. [4]

Bureau

The Bureau is the working body of the agreement and acts as the decision-making body for the agreement in-between the MOP, and carries out interim activities on it behalf. It also provides guidance to the Secretariat concerning the implementation and promotion of the Agreement.

The Bureau is composed of a Chair and Vice-Chairs, all elected by the MOP. Additionally, the Chair of the Scientific Committee is invited to participate as an observer. The Bureau meets at least once a year. [4]

Secretariat

The Secretariat is the executive body of the Agreement. It coordinates and organises the activities of the MOP, the Bureau and the Scientific Committee in order to ensure they can fully perform their assigned duties. Additionally, it monitors the budget, works to increase public awareness concerning the Agreement and its objectives, executes decisions addressed to it by the MOP and creates a report to present at each MOP on the work of all bodies of the Agreement. [4]

Scientific Committee

The Scientific Committee acts as an advisory body to the MOP. Its main duties include:

  • Providing advice to the MOP on scientific and technical matters
  • Conducting scientific assessments of the conservation status of cetacean populations in the Agreement Area
  • Advising on the development and co‐ordination of international research and monitoring programmes
  • Preparing for each session of the MOP a report of its activities

The Scientific Committee is composed of "persons qualified as experts in cetacean conservation science" and meets at the request of the MOP. [4]

Agreement area

This map shows the following:
  Agreement Area
  Agreement Area Extension
  Member States
  Range States

According to Article 1 of the Agreement, the geographic scope of this Agreement is as follows: [4]

  • All the maritime waters of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, and their gulfs and seas
  • The internal waters connected to, or interconnecting, these maritime waters
  • The Atlantic area contiguous to the Mediterranean Sea west of the Straits of Gibraltar

In 2010, at MOP4, Portugal and Spain both submitted proposals to extend the Agreement area to cover parts of their respective exclusive economic zones. The proposal was adopted at the MOP, as Resolution A/4.1, and is currently in effect. [5] [6]

Species

The Agreement covers 28 species of Cetacean that migrate throughout the range of the Agreement. [1] [7] [8]

Balaenidae

Balaenopteridae

Delphinidae

Kogiidae

Phocoenidae

Physeteridae

Ziphiidae

Member States

States Parties

The following are all the States Parties to the Agreement, as well as the date the Agreement entered into force in waters under their jurisdiction:

List of States Parties to ACCOBAMS [1] [9] [10] [11]
Country Signature Ratification Entry into Force
  Albania 24 November 1996 25 May 2001 1 October 2001
  Algeria 19 March 2007 1 December 2007
  Bulgaria 16 September 1999 23 September 1999 1 June 2001
  Croatia 24 November 1996 3 May 2000 1 June 2001
  Cyprus 24 November 1996 30 January 2006 1 May 2006
  Egypt 4 March 2010 1 July 2010
  France 24 November 1996 26 February 2004 1 June 2004
  Georgia 24 November 1996 30 March 2001 1 June 2001
  Greece 24 November 1996 24 November 1996 1 June 2001
  Italy 24 November 1996 10 February 2005 1 September 2005
  Lebanon 5 May 2004 1 March 2005
  Libya 12 May 2002 1 September 2002
  Malta 23 March 2001 23 March 2001 1 June 2001
  Monaco 24 November 1996 25 April 2001 1 June 2001
  Montenegro 17 February 2009 1 August 2009
  Morocco 28 March 1997 13 May 1999 1 June 2001
  Portugal 24 November 1996 30 September 2004 1 January 2005
  Romania 28 September 1998 13 June 2000 1 June 2001
  Slovenia 12 July 2006 1 December 2006
  Spain 24 November 1996 7 January 2001 1 June 2001
  Syrian Arab Republic 7 February 2002 1 June 2002
  Tunisia 24 November 1996 21 December 2001 1 April 2002
  Turkey 29 May 2017 1 February 2018
  Ukraine 9 July 2003 1 January 2004

Range States

The following are the Range States that have not ratified or acceded to the Agreement: [1] [9]
Signed, but not ratified:

Other Range States:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "ACCOBAMS". CMS. UNEP/CMS Secretariat. n.d. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. ^ "ACCOBAMS". OceanCare. OceanCare. n.d. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  3. ^ "ODO becomes ACCOBAMS Partner". Oceanomare Delphis. Oceanomare Delphis ONLUS. n.d. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area . Monaco: ACCOBAMS Secretariat. 1996 – via Wikisource.
  5. ^ "Resolution A/4.1 – Amendments: Extension of the ACCOBAMS Geographical Scope" (PDF). ACCOBAMS. ACCOBAMS Secretariat. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  6. ^ "18th ASCOBANS Advisory Committee Meeting" (PDF). ASCOBANS. ASCOBANS Secretariat. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  7. ^ Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area – Annex I . Monaco: ACCOBAMS Secretariat. 1996 – via Wikisource.
  8. ^ di Sciara, Giuseppe Notarbartolo; Alexei, Birkun Jr. (2010). Conserving whales, dolphins and porpoises in the Mediterranean and Black Seas: an ACCOBAMS status report, 2010 (PDF) (Report). Monaco: ACCOBAMS. p. 212. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  9. ^ a b "List of Contracting Parties and Signatories to the Agreement" (PDF). ACCOBAMS. ACCOBAMS Permanent Secretariat. n.d. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  10. ^ Authier, Matthieu; et al. (2017). "Cetacean conservation in the Mediterranean and Black Seas: Fostering transboundary collaboration through the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive" (PDF). Marine Policy. 82 (2017): 98–103. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2017.05.012. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  11. ^ United Nations Environmental Programme (May 2015). "ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative - Project Identification Document" (PDF). Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas. RAC/SPA. pp. 13–16. Retrieved 2 September 2019.

External links