Telemetry-based Home Range and Habitat Modelling Reveals that the Majority of Areas Important for Pygmy Blue Whales are Currently Unprotected

Using satellite telemetry, Brownian Bridge Movement Models, and MaxEnt habitat modelling, this study shows that pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) migrate predictably between Western Australia and Indonesian waters, with core-use areas and migration corridors concentrated in the Savu Sea, Timor Trough, Banda Sea, and Molucca Sea. However, less than 20% of these critical areas fall within existing Marine Protected Areas, and designated whale migration lanes in Indonesian marine spatial planning do not fully align with observed migration routes, leaving major corridors exposed to shipping traffic and other risks. These findings highlight an urgent need to improve marine spatial planning by realigning migration lanes, expanding MPA coverage, and incorporating dynamic or seasonal protection measures to effectively safeguard migratory whale habitats across national waters and adjacent regions.

Authors:

Achmad Sahri, Charlotte Jak, Mochamad Iqbal Herwata Putra, Albertinka J. Murk, Virginia Andrews-Goff, Michael C. Double, Ron J. van Lammeren

Publisher:

Biological Conservation

Keywords:

marine protected area, marine spatial planning, migration corridor, pygmy blue whale, species distribution model, telemetry data

Group Species:

Cetacean

Species:

Pygmy blue whale

Scale:

Indo-Australia

Year:

2022