Several conservation organizations have joined together to request before the European Parliament a large protected area or "sanctuary" of marine animals in the waters of the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Azores and Madeira.
32 different species of cetaceans pass through the waters of the Macaronesian Islands, so one of the demands is that they create "safe corridors" for whales so that they are protected from the growing maritime traffic in the area.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums have made this request together with the Loro Parque Foundation.
A sanctuary to protect species from extinction
"The threat of species disappearance has reached unprecedented dimensions in the history of the world: according to the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), almost a third of all evaluated species, some 41,000 species, are already considered in danger of extinction.
"By 2050, almost 40% of the planet's terrestrial species could have become extinct," explain the promoters of the marine sanctuary.
Within the framework of this initiative, several awareness-raising actions have been carried out in the European Parliament between October 23 and 29, including conferences and an exhibition on the subject.