Latest news and stories about whale and dolphin conservation
Arctic Watch: Navigating safe shipping in the Arctic
Expanding maritime activity in this area of the world presents new risks, including oil spills, vessel strikes, underwater noise, and other forms of human disturbance and pollution. To help mitigate these risks, WWF and the Marine Exchange of Alaska (MXAK) are working with experts to develop a set of wildlife alerts that MXAK will seasonally broadcast to vessels.
Whales: Nature-based buffers against the climate crisis
Whales play an important role when it comes to climate change mitigation. Scientists recently discovered that whales can capture significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Estimates indicate that one whale’s ability to capture carbon from the atmosphere is equal to that of thousands of trees.
Countries fail to deliver greater protection for the Antarctic despite threats of record low sea ice and bird flu
Governments responsible for conserving Antarctic marine life have failed to deliver increased protection at a meeting in Hobart despite the threats of record low sea ice and the first cases of bird flu reaching Antarctica.
Antarctica’s sea ice crisis: Climate change threatens Antarctic wildlife as sea ice levels drop
Antarctic sea ice provides refuge for a range of species, from tiny crustaceans like Antarctic krill to the largest penguin species – the emperor penguin, who rely on sea ice habitats for their survival. As the Antarctic environment experiences rapid environmental change, many Antarctic species are feeling the heat.
Record low sea ice signals need for swift and greater protection of Antarctica, warns WWF
WWF is calling on the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to prioritise the conservation of Antarctic wildlife and designate three new marine protected areas (MPAs) as sea-ice has declined to record lows, causing mass deaths of vulnerable species and potentially signalling Antarctica's shift to an unstable state.
Antarctic Krill: Powering baleen whales in the Southern Hemisphere
You may not realize but an unlikely hero resides in the Southern Ocean, Antarctic krill. These tiny crustaceans, no larger than a paperclip, are critical to the Southern Ocean food web and feed a wide variety of species, including baleen whales, penguins, seals and many other marine wildlife, who depend on them to survive.
Solving the mystery of the declining South African southern right whale population by discovering their blue corridors
Research Manager Dr Els Vermeulen and her team are focused on solving a scientific mystery. Since 2009, very few southern right whales have been seen along the South African coastline.
For a Thriving Ocean: Collective Action to Protect Whales and Dolphins
The theme of this year’s United Nations World Oceans Day on 8 June 2022 is ‘Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean’. We’re highlighting the collective action between WWF’s Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative experts, industry, policy makers and governments around the world to safeguard our ocean giants for a thriving ocean.
Protecting whales is climate positive
Protecting whales: a climate-positive solution for Biden’s Leaders Summit this Earth Day