Objectives: Increase awareness on the importance of cetaceans as key species for healthy and productive oceans in the decision-making processes of national, regional and international organizations related to the management and conservation of marine ecosystems and marine species.

Implementation methodologies: As a startup, a workshop on the subject will be conducted at the International Conference on Conservation Biology of the Society of Conservation Biology in Cartagena, Colombia on July 2017. International experts will make presentations on topics such as whales as fertilizers of the marine ecosystem, ecological economics and strategies to incorporate this emerging issue in the decision-making processes of national, regional and international organizations with competence on the management and conservation of marine ecosystems and marine species.

Follow-up mechanisms: A declaration on the subject is considered as one of the key outcomes of the workshop. This declaration will be distributed among governments and international organizations to promote the integration of whales and key species for the functioning of the marine ecosystem in national, regional and international decision-making processes.

Governance: The integration of the importance of whales as key species for the functioning and productivity of the marine ecosystem will be translated in policies that - through proper implementation and monitoring - will strengthen the governance of decision-making bodies related to the conservation and management of marine ecosystems and marine species.