Statement of Intent
Between
SPREP and NOAA ONMS

September 4, 2016

NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme will work together to enhance marine mammal conservation in the Pacific

Whereas
NOAA recognizes the significance of the Pacific region as home to more than half of the world's species of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and looks forward to collaborating with SPREP in our work on marine mammal conservation around the Pacific

Whereas
SPREP declared 2016/2017 the Year of the Whale in the Pacific as part of their Protect Pacific Whales campaign. The campaign supports a range of conservation initiatives including surveys in unexplored waters, international conferences to share knowledge and plan for coordinated conservation actions, and capacity building to share knowledge and tools to manage common threats to marine mammals. 

Whereas
SPREP is an intergovernmental organization based in Apia, Samoa. The organization has been charged by the governments and administrations of the Pacific region to ensure the protection and sustainable development of the region's environment. 

Whereas
NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries serves as a trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing nearly 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters. The network includes a system of 15 national marine sanctuaries and Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. 

Whereas
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.

Now, therefore

SPREP and NOAA ONMS agree to work together and collaborate on marine mammal ---conservation in the Pacific