Resolution 2002-1 GUIDANCE TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON THE SANCTUARY REVIEW PROCESS
RECALLING that amendments to the Schedule,
including the establishment of Sanctuaries, require
criteria for their periodic review by the Scientific
Committee.
CONVINCED that the establishment of Sanctuaries
for conservation purposes represents an integral
part of best management practices for wildlife in
general.
NOTING that sanctuaries were established and have
been maintained for a number of reasons, of which
scientific considerations, although important,
should not be definitive in the validation process.
When considering scientific arguments for sanctuary
evaluation, if consensus is not possible, then a
precautionary approach should prevail.
RECALLING FURTHER that since 1995, the IWC has
recognised the need for a broader understanding of
environmental changes and threats affecting whale
stocks in the Antarctic marine ecosystem and
recommended the application of precautionary
principles in their discussions. On several
occasions there was consistent support within the SC
(2002) for the precautionary approach, specially
when dealing with Arctic and Antarctic resource
management. (SC/54/IA7, IA11, IA15, SC/54/E3, E11,
E16, SC/54/IA7, IA11, IA18, SC/54/BRG4).
RECOGNISING that if there is no consensus on
specific issues within sanctuaries, the
Precautionary Approach should limit the negative
impacts of environmental uncertainty (e.g. effects
of climate change over sea-ice dynamics and feeding
habitat accessibility and unforeseen problems in the
RMP to the other regions where it was applied). In
such cases, currently established sanctuaries
complement the provisions of paragraph 10 e) of the
Schedule as an integral management strategy.
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that sanctuaries of
appropriate spatial and temporal scales are
consistent with the practice of establishing
large-scale areas closed to harvest as essential
components of best management practices. These
no-take regions should therefore be regarded
independently of any other management actions or the
provisions of paragraph 10(e) of the Schedule to the
Convention. The long-term provisions and dimensions
of an individual sanctuary depend on factors other
than those determining the Commission's short-term
management policy.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE COMMISSION:
INSTRUCTS the Scientific Committee that, in
reviewing Sanctuaries, it includes the following
principles in addition to those in the Instructions
from the Commission to the Scientific Committee for
Review of Sanctuaries approved by the 53rd Annual
Meeting.
- Temporary overlap of management measures,
for example Para 10(e) of the Schedule and a
sanctuary, cannot be used to invalidate any
long-term scientific and conservation value of a
given Sanctuary.
- The application of the Precautionary
Approach shall be determined in accordance to
Principle 15 of the 1992 Rio Declaration.
IWCRES54 2002.doc
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