Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA)
A IUCN joint SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force initiative
Overview
Status: Ongoing
Topics: Conservation
Start date: 01/10/2016
End date:
Parent project:
Project website: https://www.marinemammalhabitat.org
Funding institutions: MAVA Foundation
The German International Climate Initiative (IKI) through the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI)
Water Revolution Foundation
Target species: Marine mammals
Tethys role: Co-Leader
Project leader: IUCN Joint SSC /WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force
Tethys Research Institute co-leader with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC)
Project manager for Tethys: Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara - co-Chair of the Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force
Simone Panigada – deputy Chair of the Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force
Project partners: GOBI, OFB, IUCN Cetacean SG, IUCN Sirenian SG, University of St Andrews
MAVA Foundation
The German International Climate Initiative (IKI) through the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI)
Water Revolution Foundation
Project subcontractors:
Project staff: Caterina Lanfredi, Margherita Zanardelli, Elena Politi
Project other staff: Erich Hoyt, Gillian Braulik, Gianna Minton
Milestone project:
Detailed description
The Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) program was launched in 2016 by the IUCN Joint SSC /WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force as a response to the conservation crisis in the protection of marine mammals and wider global ocean biodiversity. IMMAs identify discrete portions of habitat, important for one or more marine mammal species, which have the potential to be delineated and managed for conservation. Scientific experts identify IMMAs during dedicated regional workshops based on robust scientific criteria covering critical aspects of marine mammal biology, ecology and population structure.
Results
Between 2016 and 2024, eleven expert workshops - engaging more than 300 experts - have resulted in the identification of 323 IMMAs located in over 100 countries or territories across 80% of the world’s ocean. Candidate IMMAs undergo independent peer review before acceptance and are then disseminated via a searchable database and dedicated online e-Atlas. IMMAs identified to date provide important habitats for 89 of the 136 recognised marine mammal species. Around 69% of IMMAs in the network were identified based on habitat for marine mammal species that are threatened on the IUCN Red List. Approximately 58% of IMMA surface areas occur within Exclusive Economic Zone waters, while 42% fall within areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Output
Documents and reports are available at https://www.marinemammalhabitat.org/resources/documents/
Communication Output
Publications
Publications are available at https://www.marinemammalhabitat.org/resources/documents/
Downloads
IMMA Spatial Layers available at https://www.marinemammalhabitat.org/immas/imma-spatial-layer-download/