Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01633:body:0:p35
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01633
Segment Type: other
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Character Range: 97542–101543

actions identified as part of the plan is displayed below (Table 6). The threat prioritisation carried out as part of this plan identified the threats with highest priority for action. Only actions that address the most significant threats (rated as 'high' (yellow) and 'very high' priority (red)), and those that support the estimation of abundance and measuring population recovery and identification of important habitat have been included. It is expected that every action will progress or be completed during the lifetime of this plan. It is also recognised that during the lifetime of the Plan, the listed priorities below may change. This may be due to the development of new threats or change in risk, the discovery of additional population(s) using Australian waters, or due to an increased knowledge about the two subspecies and three populations. Where needed, the Australian Government will work together with relevant key stakeholders to modify actions under an adaptive management framework.
Table 6. Summary of actions with interim objectives and recovery targets
Actions Area                                                                                   Population              Priority    Interim Objective  Threats Addressed  Recovery Targets
A: Assessing and addressing threats
A.1: Maintain and improve existing legal and management protection                             Australian pygmy whale  Very high   3                  A, B, C, D, E, F   3-1
Antarctic blue whale                                                                           Very high
A.2: Assessing and addressing anthropogenic noise                                              Australian pygmy whale  Very high   2, 3, 4            C, D, E            2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 4-2
Antarctic blue whale                                                                           High
A.3: Understanding impacts of climate variability and change                                   Australian pygmy whale  High        2, 3, 4            B                  2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 4-2

Antarctic blue whale                                                                           High
A.4: Minimising vessel collisions                                                              Australian pygmy whale  High        2, 3, 4            E                  2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 4-2
Antarctic blue whale                                                                           High
B: Enabling and Measuring Recovery
B.1: Measuring and monitoring population recovery                                              Australian pygmy whale  Very high   1                  A, B, C, D, E, F   1-1, 1-2, 1-3
Antarctic blue whale                                                                           Very high
B.2: Investigating population structure                                                        Australian pygmy whale  High        2                  A, B, C, D, E, F   2-2
Antarctic blue whale                                                                           High
B.3: Describing spatial and temporal distribution and defining biologically important habitat  Australian pygmy whale  High        2                  A, B, C, D, E, F   2-1
Antarctic blue whale                                                                           High

Previous and existing management actions
Australia has a long-standing commitment to the conservation and management of cetaceans. While this plan focuses on actions to be undertaken to improve the recovery of blue whales, it is important to recognise the context of existing international agreements and national mitigation/management measures that are important to blue whale recovery.
These include:
    * International Whaling Commission (IWC) - ensuring that blue whales receive appropriate levels of protection outside Australian waters through involvement in the IWC and improving understanding and management of blue whale populations;
    * Intergovernmental Panel on Climate