Brazil Declares Whale Sanctuary Along Entire Coast
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula
da Silva today signed a federal decree establishing the Brazilian Whale
and Dolphin Sanctuary, reinforcing protection for all cetacean species
in Brazilian jurisdictional waters. Brazilian waters stretch along the
nation's 8,000 kilometer (5,000 mile) long coastline on the east and
northeast coast of South America.
According to Brazilian Commissioner to the International Whaling
Commission José Truda Palazzo, Jr., "the initiative sends a clear and
powerful message to the international community in relation to Brazil's
commitment towards whale conservation, and also reinforces our campaign
for a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary to be established in the entire
oceanic basin."
In September, Chile enacted a law declaring Chilean jurisdictional
waters to be a whale sanctuary, protecting the cetaceans all along its
5,500 km (3,400 mile) long shoreline on the west coast of South America.
Currently,
the International Whaling Commission is attempting to settle a
years-long dispute between whaling and non-whaling countries which
encompasses issues such as coastal quotas for traditional communities,
the scientific whaling loophole, and the establishment of sanctuaries.
Together with other Latin American countries which make up the
so-called Buenos Aires Group, Brazil is engaged in the negotiation to
ensure that whalewatching is recognized as a legitimate whale
management option and that large areas are set aside exclusively for
this type of non-lethal use.
Palazzo says the Brazilian Whale Sanctuary decree also provides for the
promotion of non-lethal uses and for cooperation with neighboring
countries to develop regional initiatives for the conservation of
cetaceans.
As part of its agreed process to arrive at a consensus solution to the
main issues faced by the International Whaling Commission to enable it
to best fulfil its role with respect to the conservation of whale
stocks and the management of whaling, a second meeting of the Small
Working Group on the Future of IWC was convened earlier this month.
