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Cetáceos Madeira II

In 2007 the application of the CetaceosMadeira II Project was designed and prepared for the purpose of carrying on the work for the study and conservation of cetaceans in the Archipelago of Madeira, which began with the CetaceosMadeira Project (LIFE99 NAT/P/006432), which ran from 2000 to 2004. That project raised some questions related to the conservation of cetaceans in the archipelago that needed to be addressed at a later time, and these were incorporated in the goals of the CetaceosMadeira II Project. These include the following:

- The confirmation of the scientific data gathered during the CetaceosMadeira Project that point to the existence of areas/habitats preferred by the bottlenose dolphin in the coastal waters of the Archipelago of Madeira, and which should be subject to management and protection measures to safeguard these habitats and the species in question (the bottlenose dolphin is included in Annex II of the Habitats Directive);

- The definition of the areas for the operation of commercial whale-watching boats and the limits on this operation, in the face of the foreseeable growth of this activity. The purpose of this measure would be to minimise the impact on the cetaceans resulting from increased activity and contribute to its reasonable and sustainable growth;

- Inclusion of the offshore waters of the Archipelago of Madeira in an expanded technical and scientific monitoring of the cetacean population and the human activities that impact those populations. Among the human activities being considered are the ship traffic, fishing activities, and persistent municipal solid wastes.

The European Union's publication of a call for the presentation of proposals for the Life+ Programme provided the Madeira Whale Museum – Municipality of Machico with the opportunity to access resources that would make it possible to respond to the questions listed above and carry on the efforts already underway in the study and conservation of cetaceans in the Archipelago of Madeira.

The response to these questions is in line with the European Union's policies on the conservation of nature, specifically of species of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation (Annex II of the Habitats Directive) and which led to the creation of the Natura 2000 Network. It also is in line with Article 11 of the same Directive, which has in view the surveillance of the conservation status in the offshore waters of the European Union.