Have you heard of the ‘Blue Amazon’? Brazil’s massive coastline is a hotspot for marine life and, each year, whales travel thousands of kilometres to breed in its warm, nutrient-rich waters. A UN conference this month offers a key opportunity to strengthen protections for these whales and other migratory species.

This year marks 40 years since the world united to enforce a global moratorium on commercial whaling and give giants like North Atlantic right whales a chance to recover. Here’s what we’ve learned since then – and the work that still lies before us.  

WWF condemns Iceland’s recent decision to issue new whale hunting permits for the next five years. This decision by Iceland’s outgoing government means that the country’s commercial whaling industry will be allowed to catch 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales between June and September every year from 2025 until 2029.