Bonn, 15 September 2010 - Five Pacific Island States and Territories signed CMS Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) for the conservation of marine turtles, cetaceans, dugongs and sharks. Government representatives, among which Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands signed the four CMS agreements on marine species on the occasion of the 21st Meeting of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), convened in Madang 6-10 September 2010, Papua New Guinea.


Of particualr note, Tonga and Tuvalu joined the Pacific Cetaceans MoU. With marine areas of 700,000 km2 and 900,000 km2, respectively, the commitment to whale and dolphin conservation thus demonstrated by Tonga and Tuvalu can make a huge difference to the species occurring in their waters including spinner, pan-tropical spotted and bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, orcas , and many more.