After two days of negotiations during the WATCH II Meeting on 2 and 3 October 2008 in Lomé, Togo, the latest cetacean-related agreement under CMS was signed by representatives of 15 western African countries and three non-governmental organisations. This new sister agreement to ASCOBANS, the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia, came into effect immediately. It will provide a basis for a suitable legal and institutional framework to enhance international cooperation in the conservation of these species throughout the region and will facilitate more effective collaborative conservation measures.
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