To protect whale populations from the effects of climate change, many indigenous leaders from across the Pacific have signed a treaty granting legal personality to all whales, NPR reported Wednesday.
“What we’re trying to accomplish here is give whales certain rights.” Said Mele Takoko is a conservationist who founded the Hinemoana Halo Ocean Initiative, which spearheaded the treaty.
“Those rights include the right to freedom of movement, the development of natural behaviors, cultural expression, including language, a healthy environment, a healthy ocean, and indeed the recovery of populations,” she said. .
The agreement is intended to serve as the basis for legislation to protect whales, which are considered sacred ancestors to some Polynesian indigenous peoples.
“We have such an intimate relationship with whales that they are a big part of our culture and a big part of our story,” Tacoco said, adding that without them, ” The web of all marine life will collapse.”
Among the signatories to the treaty were Kiyingi Tuheitia and Too Travel Ariki, head of the Ariki family in the Cook Islands.
“The sound of our ancestors’ songs is weakening and her habitat is under threat. That’s why we must act now, Kiyingi Tuheita.” Said At a signature event on Rarotonga, part of the Cook Islands.
“We can no longer turn a blind eye. Whales play a critical role in the overall health of our marine ecosystems,” Tou Travel Ariki said similarly. “We must act urgently to protect this amazing creature before it is too late.”
Mia Tacoco argues that rising ocean temperatures due to climate change are disrupting whale migration patterns.
According to NPR host Steve Inskeep, whales often wander into the path of ships, resulting in thousands of deaths each year from ship collisions. One of the benefits of legally protecting whale identities is that it creates an effective economic deterrent against such deaths.
“It’s either hit the whale, pay $2 million, or slow down and change direction,” said Ralph Chami, the effort’s chief economist.
“It comes into effect immediately. Now, the question is how to enforce it,” Chami said.
Activists say the same tactics are being used elsewhere to protect nature.
“In Costa Rica, it gives personality to bees. In Panama, it gives personality to leatherback turtles. In Ecuador, nature has rights,” Chami said, adding that both New Zealand and Bangladesh have recognized personality in rivers.
“So in this case, all of this is to make the whale visible,” Chami said.
