Southern Ocean Initiative: WWF - the Conservation Fund.

In November 2004, we joined forces with WWF- Australia to address the issues of High Seas Governance and IUU (Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported) Fishing. In a departure from the 'traditional' style of corporate sponsorship, the partnership has taken a 'hands on' approach, with the two organisations working closely together to develop and implement the program, utilising the 'science-based solutions' expertise of WWF, physically and financially supported by Peregrine.

From humble beginnings, our project has gone global!

Spear-headed by our Australia-based project team, WWF established the Antarctica and Southern Ocean Initiative, focused on conserving the endangered resources of the region and promoting sustainable fisheries.

WWF offices around the world have now become directly involved, with an initial injection of A$2 million from WWF UK over the next four years. WWF International, USA and Canada will also be directly engaged, and injecting additional funds.

The great difficulty in effecting conservation measures in the Southern Ocean is the vast remoteness of the region and that it is not governed by any one nation: many countries have claims or interests on the sea and its resources, and much of it is classified as the "High Seas" and therefore beyond the legislative reach of any individual country. In addition, regulatory bodies such as Regional Fishing Management Organisations (RFMOs) do not have the necessary 'teeth' to enforce the regulation or punishment.

The Southern Ocean Initiative will focus on working with key bodies such as CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) to define and declare a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) around the Southern Ocean, which will protect critically sensitive and important areas of biodiversity and in which commercial fishing will be prohibited.

The SOI strategy revolves around achieving a series of outcomes that include:

* By 2012, a network of Marine Protected Areas to be gazetted covering at least 10% of the 20 million square kilometre Southern Ocean

* By 2012, halting the impact of IUU Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing (one of the biggest threats to albatross) so that it is no longer a significant threat to marine ecosystems

* By 2012, southern seabird populations will have stabilised and started to recover.

These are clearly ambitious and long-term goals. However, the strategy for achieving them is realistic and WWF has an impressive track record for achieving similar objectives (such as with the Great Barrier Reef in Australia). There are a number of milestones to be met along the way, for example, it's expected that the first of the Marine Protected Areas will be declared by the end of 2006, around the Prince Edward Islands, an important region for albatross conservation.

We have launched two projects so far under the umbrella of the Southern Ocean Initiative:

Bioregionalisation of the Southern Ocean Workshop and Report

In November, 2006, Peregrine Adventures and WWF-Australia released a ground-breaking report that maps ecological zones across the entire Southern Ocean for the first time. The report was produced by WWF-Australia and funded by Peregrine. Leading scientists from around the world gathered in Hobart in September to create the map, which forms part of the report entitled Bioregionalisation of the Southern Ocean. It is the first time an entire ocean - representing about 10 per cent of the world's ocean surface - has been mapped for its ecological zones.

Macquarie Island Feral Pest Eradication Campaign

Peregrine and WWF-Australia win fro Macquarie Island

The decision – and the subsequent implementation of the plan - will essentially save Macquarie Island from irreversible environmental devastation and could save the endangered grey-headed albatross from otherwise certain extinction in Australia. It follows a sustained campaign, led by WWF Australia and Peregrine, to have the eradication plan implemented as a long-term solution to the rabbit and rodent problem that has plagued Macquarie Island’s fragile ecology for more than a century.

Following the eradication of cats on the island the rabbit population exploded ten-fold to over 100,000. ‘Before and after’ photographs reveal the grim result: the island’s lush tussock grasses have been severely depleted, resulting in erosion and large landslips. Twenty landslips occurred in September 2006 alone, killing hundreds of king penguins.

Macquarie Island, 1500km south of Australia, is home to over four million seabirds and is one of the world’s most important seabird nesting habitats. It provides haven for four threatened albatross species including the only remaining Australian nesting site of grey-headed albatrosses. Unless the rabbit plague is controlled, these albatrosses will almost undoubtedly be driven to extinction in Australia. So dire is the situation for the grey-headed albatross, that WWF recently nominated it for up-listing from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’ under Australian government environment laws.

Continuing our previous partnerships, Peregrine joined with WWF-Australia to lobby the Tasmanian and Commonwealth governments to fund the pest eradication program, which had been developed by Tasmanian National Parks. Th e Plan was essentially developed in 2005 – its implementation pending a funding agreement being finalised between the Tasmanian and Commonwealth governments, each of which has a duty of care for the island. Two years on, the Plan was still languishing for want of a funding agreement, with a stalemate between the two governments over their respective financial responsibilities.

Peregrine and WWF-Australia stepped in with $100,000, raised through our on-board Save the Albatross auctions, to kick-start key parts of the plan and to spur the governments into action. Largely as a result of lobbying and a concerted media campaign, the two governments were galvanized into action, with the final result being the June 4 announcement. If funding had not been forthcoming by the end of June, there would not only have been further cost blow outs, but the Plan’s implementation would have been delayed by another year… which could have been too late.

Glenyce Johnson, CEO of Peregrine, welcomed the decision. “This will help to ensure a future for one of Australia’s – and the worlds – most spectacular and environmentally significant island habitats. As a responsible tourism operator, we could not stand by and watch the destruction of Macquarie. We’re proud to have played a part in this extraordinary outcome. The partnership between WWF-Australia and Peregrine sets a precedent for what can be achieved by environmental groups and tourism operators working together.”

•  For more information on the Macquarie Island situation click here or visit the ship-board blog of Andreas Glanznig, WWF Senior Policy Officer, who is travelling to Macquarie Island aboard the Aurora Australis to assess the environmental situation on behalf of WWF and Peregrine.

Download a fact sheet on Macquarie Island here.