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.

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.

Regional experts, along with the IUCN Marine Mammal Task Force, have identified and mapped 33 new Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) stretching from the Guianas, north of the Brazilian Amazon, to the tip of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

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.

Antarctica's majestic great whales have long captured the fascination of researchers, but studying these ocean giants is challenging. Technology is an indispensable tool in unravelling the mysteries of these enigmatic creatures.

WWF’s Chris Johnson, and a group of whale ecologists, including Dr. Ari Friedlaender from the University of California Santa Cruz, recently made the journey to Antarctica to conduct vital research.

New research shows reduced krill supplies lead to fewer pregnancies in humpback whales – a finding that could have major implications for industrial krill fishing.

It’s a global conservation success story. Humpback whale populations, once hunted to near extinction, are bouncing back, so much so that right now, the Australian Government is assessing whether to remove the Humpback whale from its threatened species list. WWF has advised the government to hold off – for now, taking a precautionary approach and delaying this assessment by an additional five years. Chris Johnson, Global Lead for WWF’s Whales and Dolphins Initiative, explains why.