International Alliance takes shape in Madeira
Although a long time in the making, the beginnings of an international monk seal conservation alliance assumed form and substance in Madeira in November 2008. Recognising a long-standing need for broader cooperation between organisations involved in the study and conservation of Monachus monachus, the founding members of the Alliance met to formalise their association through a unanimously endorsed memorandum of understanding, setting down the rules and principles governing their collaboration.
Founding members of the International Monk Seal Conservation Alliance (or i-monk Alliance as it is to be known in short) are CBD-Habitat (Fundación para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad y su Hábitat) of Spain, IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), MOm (The Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal) of Greece, The Monachus Guardian (an international journal and website dedicated to monk seals), the Parque Natural da Madeira of Portugal and SAD-AFAG (Underwater Research Society / Mediterranean Seal Research Group) of Turkey – all of which have been working on monk seal conservation and research issues across the species’ range.
The i-monk Alliance aims to develop and implement joint, collaborative actions, where warranted and agreed by its constituent members; document the joint efforts of its member organizations; disseminate information; raise awareness; promote marine conservation, and facilitate the recovery of the Mediterranean monk seal throughout its current and historical range.
Founding members have committed themselves to pursue the Objectives of the Alliance, which are:
- To enhance collaboration between bodies involved in the conservation and research of the species and its habitats, to promote the free-flow of relevant information between all involved parties, and to further develop capacity-building in conservation and research throughout the species’ range;
- To develop common strategies and policies, and to work collaboratively on critical issues affecting the conservation of the species and its habitats across its range;
- To promote and/or to contribute to the establishment and effective management of protected areas across the species’ range so as to ensure the long-term conservation of key populations and habitats, respecting in parallel the need for the ecologically-sustainable development of human communities living within them;
- To encourage relevant stakeholders and the public of the need for concerted international action on the conservation of the species and its habitat;
- To share the Alliance members’ know-how and experience, individually or as a group, with third parties, which are or wish to become involved in the conservation of the species.
The i-monk Alliance is now developing a plan of concerted actions for the immediate future. It is also hoped that other prospective members, whose work meets the founding principles and operating criteria of the Alliance, will consider applying for membership in due course. ‘Observer’ status may also be considered for organisations or individuals wishing to attend specific meetings or working group sessions, but which may not necessarily be applicable for full membership.
For further information, please contact the current i-monk Alliance Secretariat: MOm / The Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, Athens, Greece. The full text of the announcement can be downloaded from the Monk Seal Library (see below).
i-monk Alliance. 2008. International Monk Seal Conservation Alliance. Announcement on the establishment of the i-Monk Alliance Funchal, Madeira, 9 November 2008: 1-2. [PDF  127KB]
The case for Open Access
The Monachus Guardian notes with appreciation that increasing numbers of scientific research papers on monk seals are being published as ‘Open Access’. In other words, that research of possible fundamental importance to the conservation of these critically-endangered species, or capable of encouraging wider public interest in their fate, is being offered free of charge for download, rather than as restricted ‘payment-only’ access, the policy of most journals.
Several ‘Open Access’ papers are listed in this issue’s Recent Publications section, and are available for download, including research into Hawaiian monk seal mortality, and studies on the Mediterranean monk seal in history and culture.
While some journals are allowing open access to selected papers, many others remain closed, except to those with access to a university library subscription or a credit card.
A search of the Internet can sometimes reveal how preposterous this policy can be. Elsevier’s Science Direct, for example, offers a 1981 Biological Conservation paper – cogently predicting the Mediterranean monk seal’s extinction by the year 2000 – at $31.50. Fetching the same price is a 2-page summary of the landmark First International Conference on the Mediterranean Monk Seal, in Rhodes, Greece in 1978 (the fact-filled proceedings, by contrast, ran to 183 pages).
More disturbing, however, is that contemporary research papers are also being sold at the same inflated prices. That may be acceptable to some universities and institutes, but will only serve to reinforce the already prevalent view that monk seal science is somehow a closed world, of no great interest or significance to the general public. – TMG.
Monk seal histories republished as open access ebooks
Thanks to Leiden publisher Backhuys and the Netherlands Commission for International Nature Protection, TMG is pleased to announce that two landmark studies on the Mediterranean monk seal in human history and culture are being made available for PDF Open Access download.
Johnson, William M. and David M. Lavigne. 1999. Monk seals in antiquity. The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) in ancient history and literature. Mededelingen 35. The Netherlands Commission for International Nature Protection, Leiden: 1-101., 17 figs. [ PDF 1.6MB]
Johnson, William M. 2004. Monk seals in post-classical history. The role of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) in European history and culture, from the fall of Rome to the 20th century. Mededelingen 39. Netherlands Commission for International Nature Protection, Leiden: 1-91, 31 figs. [ PDF 2.0 MB]
To mark the occasion, we are also publishing in this issue an overview of humanity’s historical relationship with Monachus monachus, ‘One Talking Fish With A Whale Of A Tale’, commissioned by the Czech Ministry of Environment for the forthcoming anthology ‘Of Animals and Men’.
In Caribbean monk seal’s extinction, lessons for the Hawaiian
The NOAA/NMFS announcement earlier this year [see So many seals, so little time: The rapid extinction of the Caribbean monk seal, TMG 11(1): June 2008] formally recognising the extinction of the Monachus tropicalis by the US authorities, generated an unexpected wave of press and media coverage, particularly in North America.
The NMFS press release accompanying the announcement found its way into numerous local and national newspapers and magazines, onto Internet news sites, television and radio.
While the US media readily picked up on the significance of the Caribbean monk seal’s extinction to the dwindling fortunes of the Hawaiian monk seal, the same, unfortunately, could not be said for the media across the Pond, and the Mediterranean monk seal.
In fact, to large bodies of the European media even the tragic passing of the Caribbean monk seal itself slipped by virtually unnoticed.
Further information
NOAA. 2008. NOAA confirms Caribbean monk seal extinct; other monk seal populations struggling. News Release, 6 June 2008.
The formal announcement by the US authorities of the Caribbean monk seal’s extinction did, however, appear in political circles on this side of the Atlantic, with one Greek MEP submitting a written question to the European Commission over the fate of Europe’s own monk seal, Monachus monachus.
Highlighting the extinction announcement, MEP Margaritis Schinas requested a Commission response to the following question:
- In view of the direct link between the sustainability of marine ecosystems and the abundance of marine species, will the Commission say what measures it has taken, and what measures it will take in the future, to protect the Mediterranean monk seal vigorously and effectively?
Replying on behalf of the Commission, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas underlined a range of international and community-wide legislation aimed at protecting endangered species, including the Mediterranean monk seal.
The Commissioner went on to state that: “In Greece, the efforts to conserve the monk seal have led to the establishment of a strictly protected National Marine Park, 72 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), a National Action Plan and the establishment of management bodies for two of the monk seal’s most frequented areas.”
To those who are as baffled as we are, we can only respond with the following, alternative answer:
(1) The National Marine Park of Alonissos, Northern Sporades remains in management crisis, with little public support and frequent violations of the monk seal core zone. (2) Of the 72 so-called Special Areas of Conservation referred to, virtually all are purely theoretical at present, with no practical protection or management measures in force. (3) Of the two Natura 2000 sites generally cited as potential monk seal reserves with proven breeding populations (Kimolos-Polyaigos in the Cyclades, N. Karpathos in the Eastern Aegean), only the latter possesses any management plan or infrastructure.
Further information
European Parliament. 2008. Parliamentary questions, 19 June 2008. Written Question by Margaritis Schinas (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Subject: Protection of the Mediterranean monk seal, E-3519/08.
European Parliament. 2008. Parliamentary questions, 2 September 2008. Answer given by Mr Dimas on behalf of the Commission, E-3519/2008.
IUCN resolution calls for monk seal action
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, held in Barcelona, Spain, on 5-14 October 2008, has approved a motion calling on all Mediterranean countries to “maintain and increase their efforts to aid the recovery” of the Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus.
The motion, sponsored in part by the Government of the Balearic Islands, also calls for the following specific measures to be undertaken by IUCN member states:
- Extending the network of marine protected areas and improving their management, in accordance with the Protocol on Specially Protected Areas and Biodiversity in the Mediterranean of the Barcelona Convention.
- Regional strategies that would enable existing or recently extinct populations to recover, so that “genetic flow between the Atlantic and Aegean populations can be re-established”.
- The motion also calls upon the IUCN Director General to:
- “Stimulate and facilitate collaborative Monk Seal conservation projects among IUCN’s Mediterranean members with the assistance of the Pinniped Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission.”
The Barcelona Congress, according to IUCN, attracted some “8,000 of the world’s leading decision makers in sustainable development: from governments, NGOs, business, the UN and academia; together in one place for 10 days: to debate, share, network, learn, commit, vote and decide. The objective: ideas, action and solutions for a diverse and sustainable world.”
The current Chair of the Pinniped Specialist Group (PSG), Kit Kovacs, told TMG: “Mediterranean monk seals are obviously a long-standing issue. I think that the PSG will be helpful in ‘progressing’ conservation action with this species. We will meet in December to prepare action plans and talk about how monk seal issues can be worked on constructively.”
TMG will report on further developments as and when they happen.
The final version of the resolution is expected to be released by IUCN in early 2009.
Further information
IUCN. 2008. Motions. IUCN World Conservation Congress, Barcelona, 5–14 October 2008. [Conservation and recovery of the Mediterranean Monk Seal. A motion for a resolution on the Mediterranean monk seal, CGR4.MOT029: 44-46.] [PDF 1.5 MB]
IUCN SSC. IUCN Species Survival Commission Specialist Groups.
Obituary
David Ernest Sergeant, a prominent figure in Mediterranean monk seal research and conservation in the 1970s-1980s, passed away peacefully at Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada on 30 June 2008.
David Sergeant was born in 1927 in Hangzhou, China, the son of a medical missionary. He obtained a Ph.D. degree in Zoology at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, England. In 1951, he began his career in Canadian east coast fisheries research, studying beluga whales and harp seals.
In the late 1970s, together with Keith Ronald, Jean Boulva, and Fikret Berkes, he became a central player in Mediterranean monk seal research and conservation, travelling widely in Greece and Turkey, encouraging budding local groups to take up the cause of the species, and also playing a key role in the first and second international conferences on the monk seal, held in 1979 and 1984 respectively, in Rhodes, Greece and La Rochelle, France.
Excerpted and adapted from the Montreal Gazette, 5 July 2008, reproduced in the NatureNB archives.
Publications Watch
We take the opportunity of alerting our readers to the following publications on protected area management, marine biodiversity and broader conservation issues.
National Research Council. 2008. Tackling Marine Debris in the 21st Century. Committee on the Effectiveness of International and National Measures to Prevent and Reduce Marine Debris and Its Impacts, National Research Council: 1-224. [PDF Summary]
“Marine debris from ships and other ocean-based sources – including trash and lost fishing gear – contributes to the spoiling of beaches, fouling of surface waters and the seafloor, and harm to marine animals, among other effects. Unfortunately, international conventions and domestic laws intended to control marine debris have not been successful, in part because the laws, as written, provide little incentive to change behavior. This report identifies ways to reduce waste, improve waste disposal at ports, and strengthen the regulatory framework toward a goal of zero waste discharge into the marine environment. Progress will depend on a commitment to sustained funding and appropriate institutional support. […]
Humans once viewed the ocean as limitless, believing that disposal of waste from vessels would do little harm. However, awareness of the impacts of marine debris has grown. The public image of the problem has often centered on horrific images of seabirds, turtles, and marine mammals, dead and dying as a result of ingesting or becoming entangled in debris. It is hard to quantify these impacts, but some have conservation and legal implications. For example, entanglement of Hawaiian monk seals, the most endangered seal in the United States, is arguably the most significant impediment to that species’ recovery. Littered beaches and surface waters impair recreational activities and reduce tourism, among other socioeconomic effects.”
Laffoley, D. d’A. (ed.). 2008. Towards networks of marine protected areas. The MPA Plan of Action for IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas. IUCN WCPA, Gland, Switzerland: 1-28. [PDF 1.8 MB]
Launched at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, this publication, published by the World Conservation Union and the World Commission on Protected Areas, outlines the plan to expand the number, scope and effectiveness of marine sanctuaries.
“Significant progress is now needed in order to conserve marine biological diversity and productivity. This is to maintain but increasingly recover ecosystem structure, function and processes in order to support the necessary economic and social values and uses of nations and regions, and deliver sustainable development. This Plan of Action is a key part of that process.”
IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN-WCPA). 2008. Establishing marine protected area networks – making it happen. Washington, D.C.: IUCN-WCPA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Nature Conservancy: 1-118.
Also launched at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, this publication emphasizes the practical challenges and hurdles in establishing effective and well-managed marine protected areas.
“Five main elements compose this guide for management application:
- Essential information on the role of MPAs and the value of scaling up to networks.
- The importance of understanding the social, economic and political context and the need for broader marine and coastal management frameworks.
- Emerging best practices for planning and implementing MPA networks.
- A comprehensive summary of the best available scientific information on 5 ecological guiding principles in relation to MPA network design.
- Case studies from the field that demonstrate methods used to design and implement both scientifically rigorous and functional MPA networks.”
EndQuote
MPA Crystal Ball Gazing
Hugh Possingham […] director of the Spatial Ecology Lab at the University of Queensland, Australia:
In ten years’ time, all MPA planning and management will be done using decision support tools. The ad hoc planning and management of huge natural assets will be seen as inappropriate – as ridiculous as running an engineering firm without modeling and economic software. Some of the more enlightened marine reserve networks will have public and auditable biodiversity accounts that inform us transparently and credibly about their state. These accounts will be derived from cost-effective long-term monitoring regimes. Monitoring with no apparent purpose will be a thing of the past.
Once we have professional and expert management and accounting for marine reserves then international companies and governments will begin to invest in these natural assets by buying auditable outcomes. For example, countries or agencies that can deliver transparent and credible data that show they are maintaining or restoring biodiversity in their marine ecosystems will be rewarded and become prosperous. The bottom line: MPA management will become a fully accountable and professional enterprise that rewards performance based on outcomes. These professionals will be as highly trained as engineers and be continually retrained.
Source: What will MPA planning and management be like in 10 years?: MPA practitioners forecast the future, MPA News Vol. 10, No. 3 (September 2008).
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