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News
25 October 2011
Latin America joined against Japan’s “scientific” whaling in the Southern Ocean.
Press release
Sixty three civil organizations from Latin America, the Caribbean and other of international scope working in the region request their governments to adopt diplomatic actions facing the forthcoming Japan’s “scientific” whaling season in the Southern Ocean.
25 October 2011. – Sixty three civil organizations from Latin America, the Caribbean and other of international scope working in the region joined to request their governments to adopt diplomatic measures against the announcements of the Japanese government to resume next December the so called “scientific” whaling in the Southern Ocean and to harden security measures for the fleet that will operate in Antarctic waters.
In a letter simultaneously delivered to representatives of 14 countries of the Buenos Aires Group, the civil organizations denounced the commercial nature of the so called “scientific” whaling, stating that “since the JARPA II program [of lethal research in Antarctica] began in 2006, the annual whaling quota increased to almost half of all whales taken under special permits per year, reaching levels that are similar to the commercial whaling annual quota for the Antarctic minke whale before the implementation of the moratorium”.
“Apart from being a cover-up for commercial whaling operations thus violating the moratorium, the “scientific” whaling program conducted by the Japanese government in Antarctica represents a growing and alarming threat to the governance of the Southern Ocean, the security of human life at sea and protection of the sensitive Antarctic marine ecosystem” the letter pointed out.
The organizations alerted that “the challenging position of the government of Japan of sending a patrol ship to protect the whaling crew, seriously threatens the principles established by the Antarctic Treaty a zone of peace free of weapons. This situation is even worrisome because of the lack of transparency of the Japanese Government regarding the type of boat, defense personnel and instruments that would be used in the protection of the whaling fleet”.
Regarding operations of the whaling fleet, the 63 representatives of the Latin American and Caribbean civil society stated that balance of the Antarctic ecosystem is threatened by whaling operations and reminded that “since August this year, measures… came into place, prohibiting the operation of heavy fuel ships in Antarctic waters”
The letter ended with the statement: “as civil society organizations committed to the conservation of the marine environment, the effective conservation of cetaceans, defense of all life forms and peace, we see with deep concern the reprehensible conduct of the government of Japan, which both inside and outside the scope of the meeting of the IWC continues to show its unwillingness to improve the functioning of this important international organization. Consequently, and knowing your commitment with the conservation and respects to norms and international cohabitation, we ask the Buenos Aires Group to urgently take diplomatic actions to reject the recent announcements made by the Japanese government and send a clear and strong sign of opposition to the slaughter of whales and the possible militarization of Antarctica”.
The Buenos Aires Group was established in 2005 with the aim of strengthening a regional position, strongly committed with conservation and non-lethal use of cetaceans. At present, the Group includes representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.
See the complete letter here.
9 de Julio de 2011
Latin American countries and Civil Society together for the whales
The 63rd Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will take place in Jersey (United Kingdom). Here, member states will take important decisions about the future of whales worldwide.
Since 2005 ACOREMA joined a coalition of Latin American and Caribbean organizations from the civil society linked to conservation and promotion of research and non-lethal use of cetaceans. Together with the countries of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Uruguay (comprising a block named The Buenos Aires Group, or GBA), the Coalition is aimed to sustain a firm position favoring the worldwide moratorium on whaling and implementation of measures to improve the conservation status of these marine mammals. Last month, the Coalition released the “Declaración de las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil de América Latina al Grupo de Buenos Aires. 21 de junio 2001”; from the other side The Buenos Aires Group stated its position through the “Declaración emitida por los países participantes de la VIII Reunión del Grupo de Buenos Aires, Argentina frente a la 63 Reunión de la CBI”. Besides these statements, there are several actions in which individuals and institutions can express their decision to support whale conservation. This is a crucial moment for whales. Your participation is vital. Join the Campaña Cero Caza de Ballenas (Zero Whaling Campaign). Sign now at www.cerocazadeballenas.clThe Peruvian sea has a great diversity of cetaceans, comprised by 30 species, from which 9 species of large cetaceans are under IWC jurisdiction. This is the full list of cetaceans recorded in Peruvian waters.
More information in the section Campaigns
September 30, 2010
Fossil penguin found in the Paracas National Reserve. The discovery of a fossil giant penguin about 1.5 m high living in the Paracas area during the Eocene, some 36 million years ago is featured in the Science journal. The new species, named Inkayacu paracasensis was found by Alí Altamirano, member of ACOREMA collaborating at the Natural History Museum of the San Marcos University in Lima and described by a team of both national and international researchers. It is worth to note that this fossil bird preserved scales and feathers (something never found in fossil penguins). The inner structure of the feathers indicates that unlike the living species o penguins, Inkayacu was reddish–brown in color. Moreover, the exceptional preservation of these feathers allows the study of evolution in color from primitive penguins to the living species we know today.
