PROTECTING BLUE CORRIDORS

The report argues that whales are sentinel species for ocean health and critical for climate regulation, but face imminent extinction risks from cumulative threats. It advocates for 'connectivity conservation' through the establishment of blue corridors and networks of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to safeguard migratory routes across national and international waters.

• Whales contribute to global climate regulation by capturing carbon and fertilizing the ocean with excrement, which fuels phytoplankton that produce more than half of the world's oxygen.
• The extinction risk for cetaceans is described as "real and imminent," with one-third of the world's cetaceans classified by the IUCN as Threatened and six of the 13 great whale species listed as Endangered or Vulnerable.
• Fisheries bycatch, specifically entanglement in fishing gear and ghost nets, is the most significant global threat to the survival of cetacean populations, with an estimated 300,000 cetaceans killed annually.
• Shipping traffic is a leading cause of human-induced mortality for several whale populations due to vessel strikes and underwater noise pollution, which can disrupt communication and feeding behavior.
• Climate change is altering the distribution and abundance of prey, such as Antarctic krill, and shifting the timing of biological events like migration, which may impose high energetic costs on whales.
• The North Atlantic right whale is Critically Endangered, with a population of approximately 336 individuals as of 2020, and may face extinction in less than 30 years.
• In the Bering Strait, shipping traffic has nearly doubled between 2009 and 2019, increasing the risk of oil spills, ship strikes, and noise pollution in a key migratory corridor.
• In the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea humpback whale is critically endangered with fewer than 250 mature animals, and over 60% of photo-identified individuals off Oman show scars from fishing gear entanglement.
• The Mediterranean Sea is one of the world's busiest seas, hosting 20% of seaborne trade, which leads to high ship strike rates, particularly in the Pelagos Sanctuary where the rate is 3.25 times higher than elsewhere in the region.
• The report advocates for the '30x30' goal: protecting 30% of the global ocean by 2030 through networks of MPAs and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs).

APA

Johnson, C., Reisinger, R., Friedlaender, A., Palacios, D., Willson, A., Zerbini, A., Lancaster, M., Cosandey-Godin, A., Jacob, T., Battle, J., Graham, A., Grilly, E., Shahid, U., Houtman, N., Alberini, A., Montecinos, Y., Najera, E., Kelez, S., & Felix, F. (2022). PROTECTING BLUE CORRIDORS. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/684/5dcmm9jsc3_WWF_Protecting_Blue_Corridors_report_Feb2022.pdf

Chicago

Johnson, Chris, Ryan Reisinger, Ari Friedlaender, Daniel Palacios, Andrew Willson, Alex Zerbini, Melanie Lancaster, et al. PROTECTING BLUE CORRIDORS. WWF International, 2022. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/684/5dcmm9jsc3_WWF_Protecting_Blue_Corridors_report_Feb2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Johnson |first1=Chris |last2=Reisinger |first2=Ryan |last3=Friedlaender |first3=Ari |last4=Palacios |first4=Daniel |last5=Willson |first5=Andrew |last6=Zerbini |first6=Alex |last7=Lancaster |first7=Melanie |last8=Cosandey-Godin |first8=Aurelie |last9=Jacob |first9=Théa |display-authors=etal |title=PROTECTING BLUE CORRIDORS |publisher=WWF International |date=2022 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/684/5dcmm9jsc3_WWF_Protecting_Blue_Corridors_report_Feb2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{johnson2022protecting, author = {Johnson, Chris and Reisinger, Ryan and Friedlaender, Ari and Palacios, Daniel and Willson, Andrew and Zerbini, Alex and Lancaster, Melanie and Cosandey-Godin, Aurelie and Jacob, Théa and Battle, Jessica and Graham, Alistair and Grilly, Emily and Shahid, Umair and Houtman, Nathalie and Alberini, Amalia and Montecinos, Yacqueline and Najera, Eduardo and Kelez, Shaleyla and Felix, Fernando}, title = {{PROTECTING BLUE CORRIDORS}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/684/5dcmm9jsc3_WWF_Protecting_Blue_Corridors_report_Feb2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }