Protecting the Sea of Okhotsk and Northern Kuril Islands

Systematic conservation planning has already been carried out by World Wildlife (WWF) Russia in the northern part of the Okhotsk Sea in 2018-2020 with several areas identified as priority areas for conservation. The research conducted as part of this project has also demonstrated that the Sea’s ecosystems are greatly underrepresented in the national network of marine protected areas (MPAs); total protected area is just 0.3 % of the sea area.

The goal of this project is to build upon these identified priority areas for conservation and take measures to contribute to the protection of important areas of marine biodiversity, particularly bowhead whales and sea otters, from increasing anthropogenic development and unsustainable natural resource use. This will be achieved by creating a conservation action plan for the Sea of Okhotsk and supporting the designation of priority areas for conservation, especially those of importance for the bowhead whale and sea otter, such as MPAs.