WWF has been working at a global scale for cetacean conservation and has promoted the creation of marine sanctuaries worldwide.

WWF urges the Spanish government to create a marine sanctuary for whales based on their 2011 proposal of a Marine Protected Area in this place – an area where military operations are totally banned as well as the use of low intensity sonars; an area where marine traffic is regulated to reduce the risk of collision and noise pollution; and, of course, a marine area free of oil and gas drilling.

The Oil company Repsol has just abandoned its exporation plans in the Canary Islands, a marine paradise where more than one third of the planet´s cetaceans have been spotted. The oil project has drawn huge local and international opposition, and now it´s time for the whales: WWF wants a marine sanctuary in the Canary Islands, where cetaceans live forever safe from oil threat.
 

More than one third of the planet´s cetacean species have been spotted in the marine waters surrounding Lanzarote and Fuerteventura . The outstanding biodiversity and species abundance in this region of the Atlantic Ocean make it one of the most important European marine areas for whales and dolphins. It´s a crucial area   for the breeding, feeding, migration and life cycles of these amazing sea mammals, as well as other threatened species, such as turtles, sharks and sea birds.

Additional Resources

WWF: A whale sanctuary in the Canary Islands

WWF Map: Secrets about Whales

WWF: What WWF is Doing to Protect Whales

The Gaurdian: Conservationists call for Canary Islands whale sanctuary instead of oil scheme