On 4 December 2025, we hosted a webinar showcasing the outcomes of the ASCOBANS Workshops on the Management of MPAs for Small Cetaceans!
Held in 2021 and 2022, these two workshops brought together dedicated experts and practitioners working to strengthen the conservation of small cetaceans across European waters.
The first workshop, held online, sparked creative thinking and collaboration, while the second, hosted in Helsinki, Finland, built on that momentum through interactive, hands-on sessions and vibrant discussions.
Together, participants worked to define clear conservation objectives and to develop an innovative toolbox of management measures tailored for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for small cetaceans.
Using international conservation standards and tools such as situation models and results chains, the workshops encouraged new ways of thinking and practical, forward-looking solutions.
The insights and proposed measures from both workshops have been compiled into a detailed report—and the webinar presented the results.
Online
4 December 2025
10:00-12:00 (CET)
Speakers
Ida Carlén
Ida Carlén has been involved in research and conservation policy on the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise for over 20 years.
She is the chair of the ASCOBANS working group for the Baltic and Belt Sea harbour porpoise populations, the Jastarnia group, and has a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise.
Alexandra Colbing
Alexandra Colbing is a marine biologist and environmental manager specialising in coastal and marine protection at Länsstyrelsen Gotland (County administrative board of Gotland).
Her work focuses on the sustainable management and protection of the Baltic Sea’s marine environments, with a particular emphasis on conserving the critically endangered Baltic Proper population of the harbour porpoise.
She is responsible for implementing and managing marine protected areas (MPAs) and overseeing the conservation of several Natura 2000 sites, including Hoburgs bank och Midsjöbankarna—among Europe’s largest designated areas for the protection of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise and its habitat.
