保護鯨豚 巴西提倡劃設保護區

保護鯨豚 巴西提倡劃設保護區
環境資訊電子報
本報2008年12月25日綜合外電報導，楊佳珊編譯，莫聞審校
http://e-info.org.tw/node/39928

巴西在南美洲東部、東北部的海岸線，共有約有8,000公里長。為了加強保護巴西領海內的所有鯨豚，該國總統魯拉上週（18日）簽訂一項聯邦法令，劃設「巴西鯨豚保護區」（Brazilian Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary），巴西駐國際捕鯨委員會（IWC）代表帕拉佐（José Truda Palazzo, Jr.）表示，「這項計畫向國際社群傳遞一個清楚又強而有力的訊息，讓全世界知道巴西對於鯨豚保護的決心，並加強推動『南大西洋鯨豚保護區』〈South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary〉行動，讓保護區遍及整個海域。」

帕拉佐表示，「巴西鯨豚保護區法令同時也是在倡導不具殺傷力的用途，並且和鄰國合作一起為鯨豚保育推行跨區域性行動。」

目前，巴西與智利等拉丁美洲國家組成一個「布宜諾斯艾利斯小組」，在國際捕鯨委員會中進行談判，來確保賞鯨活動納入合法的鯨豚管理方式之中，並且讓大部分海域只准許賞鯨這種非致命性的鯨豚利用方式。

智利在9月份間已頒布一項法令，宣佈將智利管轄水域劃設為鯨豚保護區，讓綿延在南美洲西岸、總長約5,500公里海岸線內的鯨豚受到保護。

巴西與智利的行動源於國際捕鯨委員會的努力。該委員會目前正試圖中止捕鯨和反捕鯨國家間長年以來的爭端，像是原住民社群的捕魚量、「以科學為目的進行捕鯨」的法令漏洞，以及設立保護區等等問題。因此，IWC並須協調各方歧見，在在鯨豚保育及捕鯨活動管理上，儘可能達成共識。

目前，國際捕鯨委員會未來行動小組分別在9月於美國佛州，以12月8-10日在英國劍橋，舉行第一次與第二次工作會議，會議主席同樣是由2007年之前擔任聯合國副祕書長一職的秘魯特使索托(Alvaro de Soto)所主持。

這一系列的協商會議均由國際捕鯨委員會6月智利聖地牙哥舉行的年度大會中授權。當時該項會議一致同意的程序包含兩項要點，其中一項是沒有觀察員出席的討論小組可隨時召開動腦會議，但會議結論不具決策性；第二則是由委員會召開的全體會議，觀察員可出席。

未來行動小組會議預計將在2009年3月間在羅馬召開一次國際會議，開放讓觀察員參加；在此會議之前，預計在2月間公告他們的討論成果。這些討論，都會在2009年6月間的全體會議中再進一步深化並作成決議。

【參考資料】ENS報導
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2008/2008-12-18-01.asp

Brazil Declares Whale Sanctuary Along Entire Coast
BRASILIA, Brazil, December 18, 2008 (ENS) - 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.
Humpback whales off the coast of Brazil at Praia do forte, Bahia state (Photo by Nigel Addecott)

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.

The meeting took place in Cambridge, UK from December 8-10 and was again chaired by Ambassador Alvaro de Soto of Peru, an under-secretary general of the United Nations until 2007.
Humpback whale mother and calf off the coast of Brazil at Praia do forte, Bahia state (Photo by Nigel Addecott)

The first Small Working Group meeting was held in Florida in September, also chaired by de Soto.

The process, agreed by the IWC by consensus at its annual meeting in Santiago, Chile in June, is made up of two components - one or more small, non-decision-making meetings of the Small Working Group held without observers being present to allow the free exploration of ideas; and full meetings of the commission which are open to observers.

The Small Working Group will report to an intersessional meeting of the commission, which will be open to observers, scheduled to take place in Rome from March 9-11, 2009. The Small Working Group report will be available in February.

The earliest formal decisions can be taken on the IWC's future will be at the Annual Meeting in Madeira, Portugal in June 2009, which will be open to observers and the media.

"I was delighted with the discussions we had at this meeting," said the IWC Chair Dr. Bill Hogarth of the United States. "As I've said before, this is a vital process for the future of whale conservation and the management of human activities that can affect their status. All IWC members want healthy whale stocks, whatever disagreements may exist on how they should be used."

At IWC meetings over the past five years, South American countries including Brazil have repeatedly failed in their bids to establish a whale sanctuary in the southern Atlantic Ocean from the east coast of South America to the west coast of Africa.