Abstract

The Agoa Sanctuary (second largest French MPA) is leading an INTERREG Caraibes project called CARI'MAM (Caribbean Marine Mammal Preservation Network). This project aims to develop a network of MPAs dedicated to the conservation of marine mammals in the Caribbean, a veritable hot spot of biodiversity suspected to host up to 31 cetacean species. Among the action led trough the project, emphasis is put on capacity-building for managers and development of common management tools. The technical objective is to standardize scientific protocols and develop common management tools. In an international context with strong inequalities and various levels of knowledge, it is a challenge to standerdize methods that accord the needs and possibilities of all. Several methods ranging from passive acoustic monitoring to photo-identification are adapted and used by several territories to study the diversity and seasonality of species in order to adapt the associated management measures (eg periods and locations of seismic campaigns). Given the high number of islands, the large influx of data and the need for constant analysis for comparisons, tools for assisting standerdized data entry and artificial intelligence algorythms were favored by valuing as much as possible pre-existing tools.

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