World Cetacean Alliance

The World Cetacean Alliance is a global coalition of organisations dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises around the world.

INTRODUCTION

At the 1st World Whale Conference, 26-27 October 2012, delegates agreed that a new coalition should be formed to effectively protect the world’s cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) from the many and varied threats that they face. This coalition will be a partnership of NGOs, whale and dolphin watching businesses, and passionate individuals, all prepared to work together and shout louder on behalf of cetaceans than ever before. So why do we need it?
BIRDS
In the 1970s birds were in trouble. Vulnerable species were becoming extinct, common species were rapidly becoming uncommon, and critical habitats were disappearing fast. The formation of a global alliance – eventually to be called BirdLife International – took, and continues to take, powerful steps to turn the fate of the world’s birds around.

WHALES AND DOLPHINS

“Vulnerable species becoming extinct, common species rapidly becoming uncommon, and critical habitats disappearing fast” – sounds familiar? It’s time for a new global alliance if we are to effectively protect cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) from the many and varied threats that they face. This new organisation will be a partnership of NGOs, whale and dolphin watching businesses, and passionate individuals, all prepared to work together, faster and louder on behalf of cetaceans than ever before.
The community of people with an interest in protecting cetaceans is one of the largest for any group of animals in the world. According to statistics sourced from both IFAW and Planet Whale it includes over 3, 300 whale and dolphin watching businesses, 150 NGOs, and 13 million people going whale watching every year.
Joined together this community has the potential to be enormously powerful and influential; to run global campaigns with the backing of millions of people, to target specific issues with enough support to achieve rapid change, to pull in significant new funding, to reach more of the public than ever before, and to ensure the success and growth of every member organisation.
On 8th June 2013, on World Oceans Day, 22 partners from 10 countries launched the World Cetacean Alliance to bring the community together.
Planet Whale does not intend to lead this new organisation. Planet Whale facilitates partnerships and community engagement projects around the world to achieve positive change for cetaceans and their habitats. By facilitating new partnerships Planet Whale empowers other individuals and organisations to be more effective through collaboration.
Successes include the Responsible Whale Watch Partnership, WhaleFest, and the World Whale Conference. With advice from Birdlife International, the world’s largest partnership of conservation organisations, Planet Whale is facilitating the World Cetacean Alliance.

VISION

The World Cetacean Alliance will represent a new and powerful global community willing to work together to protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans), and their habitats.
We will stand by the following principles:
• The Alliance will actively seek recognition and influence as the largest international network of experts and advocates for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises).
• Our emphasis will be to involve the widest possible stakeholder community, and especially the general public, in all of our agreed strategies, policies and programmes; globally, regionally, and locally. We believe everybody deserves a say in the important decisions that affect whales and dolphins.
• We will seek innovative and positive solutions to the issues affecting cetaceans by adopting an inclusive, solutions-driven approach at all times.
• As the global Partnership empowered to speak with one voice to protect cetaceans and their habitats, we recognise the value of collaboration and respect the ideas and principles of all of the Partners as equals.