Conservation: Superhighways to Protect Migrating Whales
- Editor OGN Daily
- Jun 16
- 1 min read
New digital platform aims to revolutionise whale conservation.
In a breakthrough for marine conservation, a global coalition led by WWF has launched BlueCorridors.org – a cutting-edge digital platform that maps whale migration routes, or ‘blue corridors’, for the first time using over 30 years of tracking data. By layering this with information on marine threats and conservation zones, the platform offers governments, researchers, and NGOs an unprecedented tool to safeguard these vital migratory paths.
Developed in partnership with over 50 research institutions, including the University of Southampton and Oregon State University, the platform visualises whale routes across breeding, feeding, and social habitats. These corridors are not only critical for whale survival but underpin the health of wider marine ecosystems.
Chris Johnson, WWF’s Global Lead for Protecting Whales and Dolphins, said: ‘Blue corridors are more than migration routes - they’re lifelines for the ocean’s giants and the ecosystems they support. This platform transforms decades of science into a tool for action.’
Whales are among the planet’s most prolific travellers, with some species covering thousands of kilometres each year along vast migratory corridors that stretch across entire ocean basins. These ‘blue corridors’ are not random meanders - they’re finely tuned, seasonal journeys connecting feeding grounds in cold, nutrient-rich waters with breeding and calving sites in warmer, tropical seas.
