White Cap: 68 baby monk seals born this year! (video)

The monk seal is considered one of the most endangered animals in the world. Here are some examples of the threats to this magnificent animal: deliberate massacre, interaction with fishing, human disturbance, illegal fishing methods, lack of food resources, genetic impoverishment, pollution and destruction of its natural habitat. Each of these factors plays or has played a role in the decline of the species.

In 1978, an action plan for the conservation and management of the monk seal in the Mediterranean was drafted. In Morocco, important efforts have been made by the HCEFLCD, the Commissariat aux Eaux et Forets for the conservation of monk seal populations. This improvement is illustrated by the increase of the numbers of this population of 100 individuals in 1998 and 250 in 2014 as well as the frequentation of the monk seal of new zones along the southern coast of Morocco.

Endorsed by Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Mauritania, the Action Plan for the Safeguarding of the Mediterranean Monk Seal in the Eastern Atlantic establishes a framework for international cooperation for the implementation of coordinated actions for the purpose to recover the Atlantic populations of monk seal and to guarantee the continuity of this species.

Since the involvement of CBD Habitat in the Action Plan, it is clear that the monk seal population seems to be growing. Since the creation of the Seals Coast Reserve, the number of individuals has increased year by year from about 100 individuals estimated in 1998 to a current population of more than 330 seals. Similarly, the number of babies born each year in the colony has almost tripled from a good twenty to more than 80 births.