The South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary is a proposal, not a currently designated sanctuary. At its meeting in October 2026, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) put the proposal to a vote, but it did not receive the three-quarters majority needed to amend the IWC Schedule. The proposal was therefore not adopted.
What the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary proposal would do
The South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary (SAWS) is a proposal to designate a sanctuary in the South Atlantic by amending the IWC Schedule. Its sponsors describe the intended purpose as promoting biodiversity conservation and non-lethal use of whale resources in the region. Those objectives are proposed aims; they are not measures already in force under an adopted SAWS designation.
Proposed conservation and research aims
The proposal’s objectives include maintaining or increasing whale stocks, addressing identified threats, coordinating non-lethal and non-extractive research, bringing regional research and management together, and providing a framework for local conservation measures. Its management plan envisages assessing whale distribution, status and trends; reducing deaths from fishing-gear entanglements and vessel collisions; sharing data; raising awareness; and supporting sustainable, non-extractive economic and educational activities.
The governments sponsoring the proposal describe one intended benefit as: “To develop the sustainable, non-extractive and non-lethal economic use of whales for the benefit of coastal communities in the region (e.g. whale watching and educational activities).” The proposal also says it is not intended to restrict coastal States’ sovereign rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; that is the sponsors’ stated position.
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How the IWC approves a whale sanctuary
The IWC is established by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). The Convention’s Schedule is an integral part of the treaty and contains legally binding provisions. To designate a sanctuary, the Commission must adopt a Schedule amendment describing the sanctuary area. The IWC’s sanctuary guidance says that amendment requires a three-quarters majority of votes. A proposal that does not reach that threshold does not become an IWC-designated sanctuary.
The IWC says Schedule amendments are almost always agreed at its biennial meetings, though that does not mean amendments can only be made at those meetings.
What happened to the proposal, and when?
From Brazil’s initial proposal to five co-sponsors
The IWC first discussed the issue in 1998, after Brazil said it intended to propose a sanctuary. The proposal was first evaluated in 2001 and was not adopted. Argentina, South Africa and Uruguay later joined Brazil as co-sponsors, followed by Gabon. A 2016 proposal document names Argentina, Brazil, Gabon, South Africa and Uruguay as its co-sponsors.
Earlier and latest vote outcomes
The 2016 sponsor-government document says a 2012 Schedule amendment proposal received 64% support, below the required three-quarters majority. That figure describes the 2012 vote as reported in the 2016 document; it is not the tally for the October 2026 vote.
The IWC’s final-day report of 2 October 2026 says the SAWS proposal was put to a vote at IWC70, did not achieve the necessary three-quarters majority, and was not adopted. The cited report passage gives no exact vote count.
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The two existing IWC sanctuaries
The IWC identifies two currently designated sanctuaries: the Indian Ocean Sanctuary, established in 1979, and the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, adopted in 1994. Both prohibit commercial whaling. The South Atlantic proposal has not joined them.
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A separate South Atlantic conservation plan
The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) has a separate Action Plan for the Protection and Conservation of South Atlantic Whales, adopted under CMS Resolution 12.17. It aims to protect whales during vulnerable life stages and preserve important habitats. The CMS plan and an IWC sanctuary are different measures: the plan is a CMS action plan, while sanctuary designation requires an amendment to the IWC Schedule. The CMS document reported that the IWC proposal had been considered several times, most recently in 2024, without adoption; the IWC’s later 2026 report records the subsequent vote outcome.
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Primary sources
- IWC: The Convention and Schedule
- IWC: Whale sanctuaries and designation rules
- IWC: IWC70 final-day report, 2 October 2026
- South Atlantic sanctuary proposal by Argentina, Brazil, Gabon, South Africa and Uruguay
- IWC: South Atlantic sanctuary proposal history
- Sponsor-government account of the 2012 vote in the 2016 proposal
- CMS: Action Plan for the Protection and Conservation of South Atlantic Whales
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