Brasília, June 17, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The president of Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), Marcus Barros, is defending the Brazilian proposal for the creation of a Whale Sanctuary in the South Atlantic, at the 55th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which continues through tomorrow (18) in Berlin, Germany. Barros is representing the Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, on a commission made up of 40 countries.

Brazil has the right to speak and vote in the plenary, and the proposal, to be approved, needs the adhesion of at least three-quarters of the countries. Despite being endangered, several whale species continue to be hunted commercially by various countries, such as Japan and Norway. The Brazilian proposal, which has the support of Argentina, is to establish a whale sanctuary encompassing the entire Atlantic Ocean area from the Equator to 40º south latitude, where the already existing Antarctic Sanctuary begins.

The region defined in the proposal includes, in addition to open seas, the coasts of Brazil and Africa. The area is of considerable importance for the reproduction, nursing, migration, and nutrition of 11 of the 14 whale species that exist in the world. (DAS)