Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAS) in the Southern Ocean: An international collaboration to inform habitat-related conservation decision-making and spatial conservation measures for marine mammal species

An international group of scientists from 11 countries and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), including those holding or having access to long-term marine mammal data and having experience of working with marine mammals in the Extended Southern Ocean region, came together for five days to nominate candidate Important Marine Mammal Areas (cIMMAs), as determined by a set of criteria supported by specific evidence that capture critical aspects of marine mammal (seals and cetaceans) biology, ecology and population structure.  At the conclusion of the five days, 15 cIMMAs were submitted to an independent review panel and 13 were later approved as IMMAs. These are now listed and shown on the IMMA e-Atlas with access to shapefile and background information (https://www.marinemammalhabitat.org/imma-eatlas/). The outcomes of this work may be useful in the development of spatial conservation measures.