Vol. 11 (1): June 2008

Reversible absence

The government of the Balearic Islands, Spain, has published a lavishly illustrated, 150-page book dedicated to the Mediterranean monk seal. Written by Joan Mayol, of the Endangered Species Service of the government, the edition covers the history of the species among the islands, its persecution and decline, and the steps that have been taken to encourage its return, including the establishment of the Cabrera National Park.

The edition is published in four languages: Catalan, Spanish, English and German.

Thanks to the author and publisher, a PDF version of the book is being made available for download from the TMG Library [see ‘Further information’ below].

In introducing the book, the Conseller de Medi Ambient, Miquel Àngel Grimalt Vert, notes that attitudes towards monk seals and the natural environment have changed radically since the species became extinct in the islands. “The people who, at a quite different moment in history from the present, killed the last of the seals were in all likelihood the object of the admiration of their contemporaries,” writes Grimalt Vert. “Nowadays, the opposite would be true: the social scale of values has been completely reversed, and we see in this animal a magnificent, living symbol of the integration of nature in the Mediterranean in all its grandeur. This is why it is important to make all possible contributions to the recovery of this species, increasing even further the interest and the attention given to it in the Balearics, and facilitate its return to waters from which it should never have been expelled. Let us hope, as the title of the book suggests, that this truly be a reversible absence!”

Those wishing to obtain a hardcopy of the book can do so by contacting the publisher, Baltar, by email at . The cost is €15.- plus delivery.

Further information

Mayol, Joan. 2008. El vell marí, una absència reversible. The monk seal, a reversible absence. Conselleria de medi ambient del govern de les Illes Balears. In Catalan, Spanish, English and German: 1-51. [PDF  6.1MB]

Happy 21^st

With this, the May 2008 issue, The Monachus Guardian is 10 years old, and this is our 21st issue. We published the first edition in May 1998 [TMG 1(1): 1998], under the imprint of IMMA (International Marine Mammal Association). Though slim by today’s standards, the issue reported from Sardinia where determined efforts were underway to sell the image, if not the actuality, of monk seal conservation to summer tourists; from the site of an oil spill in Turkey; and from an international monk seal workshop in Monaco.

Over the years, thanks largely to the efforts of researchers, campaigners, and volunteer correspondents throughout the current and former ranges of the monk seals, we have expanded the scope and coverage of The Monachus Guardian considerably.

On average, TMG has been visited this year by over 4,500 unique visitors per month (not including those who download PDF versions for onward distribution by intranet and online libraries).

Sponsors have included IMMA, IFAW, the Bellerive Foundation of the late Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, WWF International, the Humane Society of Canada, and currently, the Government of the Balearic Islands and Piraeus Bank.

Know your flagship from your keystone

Everyone has come across them somewhere, be it in the media, a grant request or an NGO leaflet. Yet confusion abounds regarding the correct definition of – and what constitutes – a “flagship” or “keystone” or “priority” or “indicator” species.

WWF International has published its own definitions on its web site, and even if the explanations offered may not necessarily be shared by everyone, and may even occasionally muddy rather than clear the waters (“Flagship species may or may not be keystone species and may or may not be good indicators of biological process”), this page might help the cause of accuracy.

Applying the WWF definition, the Mediterranean monk seal is definitely a “flagship” species… or is it an “indicator” species? Comments and contradictions to .

Captive Breeding

Those who have followed the on again, off again monk seal captive breeding debate over the years, may wish to consult WWF International’s 2007 Captive Breeding Policy Statement.

The Statement seeks to define the potential uses of captive breeding as a conservation tool, and although noting its merits in certain cases and with certain species, cautions that it should be a strategy of last resort:

“WWF considers captive breeding of rare, threatened, or endangered species, with the aim of eventual reintroduction to the wild, to be a “last resort” strategy. It is exceedingly difficult and must be part of a scientifically-based management plan for the species, working closely with the range country government authorities. It is also expensive, and should not be seen as a substitute for in-situ efforts, except in rare circumstances. Captive situations may interfere with the behavioural development of animals by removing them from natural predators and prey. Furthermore, having captive populations of animals does not solve underlying problems of habitat destruction, which are often one of the key causes of the species’ decline.”

Captive breeding of Mediterranean monk seals has twice been defeated (in 1990 and 1994 respectively) in international campaigns spearheaded by the Bellerive Foundation and IMMA.

As far as we are aware, only one group in the Mediterranean currently incorporates captive breeding of the species in its long-term contingency planning.

Further information

WWF. 2007. Captive Breeding - WWF Policy Statement 2007.

Johnson, William M., and David M. Lavigne. 1994. Captive Breeding and the Mediterranean Monk Seal – A Focus on Antibes Marineland. International Marine Mammal Association Inc., Guelph, Canada: 1-44. [PDF  700KB]

Johnson, William M., and David M. Lavigne. 1998. The Mediterranean Monk Seal. Conservation Guidelines. Multilingual Edition. International Marine Mammal Association Inc., Guelph, Ontario, Canada: 1-152. [PDF  955KB]

Precautionary principle

In what might be viewed by many as an essential precursor to captive breeding considerations, IUCN released in 2007 its Guidelines for applying the Precautionary Principle to Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management.

“The Principle,” says IUCN, “is based on the recognition that a false prediction that a human activity will not result in significant environmental harm will typically be more harmful to society than a false prediction that it will result in significant environmental harm.”

The precautionary principle, or variants of it, has already found its way into various conservation mechanisms or conventions, including the 1992 Rio Declaration and CITES.

Besides discussing its importance in various aspects of conservation, sustainable development and in human attitudes towards the natural world, the Guidelines also provide advice on how the precautionary principle may be integrated into policy framework and action.

Further information

IUCN. 2007. Guidelines for applying the precautionary principle to biodiversity conservation and natural resource management. As approved by the 67th meeting of the IUCN Council 14-16 May 2007. [PDF  94 KB]

Publications Watch

We take the opportunity of alerting our readers to the following publications, on protected area management marine biodiversity and broader conservation issues.

IUCN. 2007. European Newsletter. Marine biodiversity, vol. 13 (2007): 1-16. [PDF  848KB].

Includes an overview of the EU-funded project seeking to mitigate seal-fishery interactions in Greece, by Spyros Kotomatas of MOm, and “New Initiatives for the Monk Seal,” by Hemmo Muntingh, Senior Policy Advisor of IFAW, on an international framework for monk seal conservation.

IUCN. 2007. Protected Areas and Spirituality: Proceedings of the First Workshop of the Delos Initiative: 1-327. [Info]

The Delos Initiative focuses on the sacred natural sites in developed countries throughout the world, including Europe and the USA. Its main purpose is to help in maintaining both the sanctity and the biodiversity of these sites, through the understanding of the complex relationship between spiritual/cultural and natural values. This publication includes all presentations made at the First Workshop of the Delos Initiative, which took place in Montserrat in 2006. All speeches delivered and case studies presented at the workshop have been included, as well as conclusions and lessons learned.

IUCN. 2007. Economic Valuation of Large Marine Ecosystems. Report from the IUCN workshop, July 29-30, 2007: 1-18. [PDF  132KB]

Discusses the methods, advantages and pitfalls, of valuating marine ecosystems for the purposes of conservation and sustainable development.

MEDPAN, IUCN, UNEP. 2007. Port-Cros Declaration, 26 October 2007: 1-3. [PDF  132KB]

Experts attending the First Conference of the Network of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean (MedPAN), held at the Port-Cros National Park in France in October 2007, adopted the Port-Cros Declaration, calling for swifter action to create a coherent, representative, and effectively managed network of MPAs in the Mediterranean Sea by 2012 to halt loss of biodiversity and to meet conservation targets. The Declaration was signed by 110 field experts and protected area managers, as well as IUCN, WWF and the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected AreasRAC/SPA. Proceedings of the conference are available at www.medpan.org.

MEDPAN, RAC/SPA, IUCN, WWF. 2008. Supporting the development of a representative, effective network of MPAs in the Mediterranean Sea, Almería, 16 January 2008: 1-50. [PDF  2.8MB]

Among other pressing issues, the Almería Conference proceedings ponder the current status of MPAs in the Mediterranean Sea, and recommendations for future action.

Nature Conservancy. 2007. A quick guide to conducting marine ecological gap assessments. A quick guide for protected area managers: 1-21 pages. [PDF  1.2MB]

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