The Isle of Man has been recognised as an Important Marine Mammal Area.
Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) are defined as discrete portions of habitat, important to marine mammal species, that have the potential to be delineated and managed for conservation.
Sharing the news, Manx Whale and Dolping Watch said: ‘We are delighted to have our island officially recognised as an important area for cetaceans after monitoring our local species for the past 18 years.
‘IMMAs are defined as discrete portions of habitat, important to marine mammal species, that have the potential to be delineated and managed for conservation. They are not legal designations but independent, peer-reviewed assessments based on criteria supported by data.’
It is part of 33 new IMMA’s in the North East Atlantic and Baltic Sea recognised by the IMMA Task Force which was created in 2013 by the International Committee on Marine Mammal Protected Areas (ICMMPA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Marine Vice Chair, and members of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC).
You can find out more here.
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