Dear MARMAM, We are delighted to announce the launch of BlueCorridors.org https://bluecorridors.org/, a groundbreaking digital platform that marks a significant advance for marine conservation.
Blue corridors are the migratory "superhighways" used by great whales, connecting them to vital breeding, feeding, and social habitats across ocean basins. These routes are essential not only for whale survival but also for the overall health of marine ecosystems. For the first time, these critical blue corridors are digitally mapped and made publicly accessible, providing valuable information for science, policy, and global ocean protection efforts. The platform transforms decades of scientific research into a practical tool for action, showing "when, where, and how to protect whales in a rapidly changing ocean". This initiative is a collaborative effort by WWF (https://wwfwhales.org/), technology partner Ode (https://ode.partners/en) and a global group of scientists and organisations (https://bluecorridors.org/collaborators) The site features ca. 1,437 tracks for 8 whale species, collected over 31 years by more than 50 data contributors. The platform offers a powerful, interactive tool that combines migration data with layers of marine threats and conservation priorities to guide protection efforts across national borders and various disciplines. Key features include: * Whale movement maps by species and time of year, which can be produced and shared. * Conservation data from partners like the IUCN Marine Mammal Taskforce’s Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) and other ecologically important zones, informing future marine protected area design and planning. * Overlapping threats, including shipping routes, fishing effort, and climate change layers. * Case studies, highlighting hotspots where whales are most vulnerable and outlining actionable solutions for governments. BlueCorridors.org builds on the collaborative "Protecting Blue Corridors" report (https://wwfwhales.org/resources/protecting-blue-corridors-report) and meets a growing need for open-access, science-based marine conservation tools. It visualises the growing risks to whales and outlines marine conservation solutions to inform policy. We encourage you to explore the platform at https://bluecorridors.org<https://bluecorridors.org/> and discover how this innovative tool can support your work. Importantly, this is only the first step for BlueCorridors.org – for example, we would like to add additional tracking data (including data for other species). Watch out for updates in the year and sign up to stay connected! Sincerely, Ryan Reisinger on behalf of the Blue Corridors governance group: Dr Rochelle Constantine (University of Auckland, New Zealand), Dr Violaine Dulau (Globice, Reunion Island), Dr Ari Friedlaender (University of California, Santa Cruz, USA), Chris Johnson (WWF), Dr Daniel Palacios (Oregon State University / Center for Coastal Studies, USA), Dr Simone Panigada (Tethys Research Institute, Italy), Dr Rui Prieto (University of the Azores), Dr Ryan Reisinger (University of Southampton, UK), Dr Els Vermeulen (University of Pretoria, South Africa), Dr Alex Zerbini (University of Washington, USA). Contributing researchers include: Dr Olivier Adam: Sorbonne University, France; Dr. Virginia Andrews-Goff, Australian Antarctic Program; Dr Artur Andriolo, Instituto Aqualie, Brazil; Dr Marie-Anne Blanchet: Norwegian Polar Institute; Dr Natalia Botero Acosta: Fundación Macuáticos, Colombia; Dr Gill Braulik: IUCN; Dr Emma Carroll: Associate Professor, University of Auckland – Waipapa Taumata Rau, Aotearoa New Zealand; Dr Salvatore Cerchio: African Aquatic Conservation Fund, USA/Senegal; Dr Mariano Coscarella: CONICET Argentina; Dr Tim Collins: Wildlife Conservation Society; Dr Solène Derville: French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), New Caledonia; Valeria Falabella: Wildlife Conservation Society, Argentina; Dr Steven H. Ferguson: Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; Dr Sabrina Fossette: Megaptera, Australia; Dr Claire Garrigue: Operation Cétacés, New Caledonia; Dr Raul Gonzalez: National University of Comahue, Argentina; Dr Rob Harcourt: Macquarie University, Australia; Dr Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Greenland; Dr Helena Herr: University of Hamburg, Germany; Erich Hoyt: IUCN SSC-WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, United Kingdom; Prof. Kit Kovacs, Norwegian Polar Institute, Dr Véronique Lesage: Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; Dr Christian Lydersen, Norwegian Polar Institute; Dr Gianna Minton: IUCN SSC-WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, Netherlands; Dr Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara: IUCN SSC-WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, Italy; Viola Panigada: Duke University, USA; Rui Prieto, Institute of Marine Sciences Okeanos - University of the Azores; Dr Christian Ramp: University of St Andrews, United Kingdom; Dr Leena Riekkola: Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Auckland – Waipapa Taumata Rau, Aotearoa New Zealand; Dr Audun Rikardsen: UiT The Arctic University of Norway; Dr Howard Rosenbaum, Wildlife Conservation Society, USA Dr Anjara Saloma: Cétamada, Madagascar; S.Mduduzi Seakamela: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), South Africa; Maia Sarrouf Willson: Environment Society of Oman; Dr Maritza Sepúlveda: Universidad Valparaíso, Chile; Greg Schorr: Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research, USA; Dr. Mónica A. Silva, Institute of Marine Sciences Okeanos - University of the Azores; Dr Mariano Sironi, Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas, Argentina; Dr Kate Sprogis: The University of Western Australia, Australia; Dr Laurène Trudelle: Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, France; Dr Marcela Uhart, University of California, Davis, USA/Argentina; Dr Michel Vely: MEGAPTERA, France; Dr Andrew Willson: Future Seas, Oman; and Josh Wilson: University of Southampton, United Kingdom. Dr Ryan Reisinger PhD, FHEA, MRSSAf Associate Professor Marine Biology and Ecology School of Ocean and Earth Science University of Southampton National Oceanography Centre Southampton European Way Southampton SO14 3ZH UK Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Web links: https://beacons.ai/ryan_reisinger
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