Marine Mammals: Global Plan of Action - UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 55

This document presents a collaboratively developed global plan of action outlining the conservation, management, and sustainable utilization of marine mammals, produced under the auspices of UNEP and FAO in consultation with international agencies and governments. Detailing the critical threats facing cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, and other marine mammal groups—such as overexploitation, bycatch, habitat destruction, pollution, and inadequacies in legal and management frameworks—it provides a carefully structured framework of objectives, principles, and recommended actions. The plan defines priority areas including policy formulation, regulatory measures, scientific research expansion, legal improvement, and public awareness initiatives, and incorporates a set of targeted projects with corresponding financial needs. Specific attention is given to the roles of international organizations, mechanisms for coordination, scientific advisory structures, and urgent conservation measures for at-risk species. The document also includes detailed appendices covering threatened species, relevant international organizations, legislative instruments, and a draft financial plan for implementation.