Bringing whale superhighways to life
New digital platform is a game-changer for ocean conservation
The WWF, together with a global coalition of scientists, civil society, governments, and tech innovators have launched a new platform that combines three decades of whale tracking data with information on overlapping marine threats and conservation solutions.
For the first time, the migratory “blue corridors” used by great whales are now digitally mapped and made publicly accessible to inform science, policy, and ocean protection efforts worldwide on BlueCorridors.org.
Launched ahead of World Oceans Day (8 June), the BlueCorridors.org platform advances international goals to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, as set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; underscores the importance of ratifying the UN High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement), and contributes to the ambitions of the UN Decade of Ocean Science.
The Blue Corridors platform also provides practical, actionable guidance on how to achieve that. Using satellite tracking data from over 50 global research groups, these maps trace superhighways that connect whales to critical breeding, feeding, and social habitats across ocean basins.
Under threat
Despite decades of conservation work, seven of the 14 great whale species remain endangered or vulnerable, facing growing risks from ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, underwater noise, plastic pollution, and accelerating climate impacts.
BlueCorridors.org aims to offer an urgent and innovative solution by providing a powerful, interactive tool that combines migration data with layers of marine threats and conservation priorities to help guide protection efforts across national borders and disciplines.
Blue corridors are more than migration routes – they are lifelines for the ocean’s giants and the ecosystems they support.”
“Blue corridors are more than migration routes – they are lifelines for the ocean’s giants and the ecosystems they support,” said Chris Johnson, Global Lead for WWF’s Protecting Whales and Dolphins Initiative.
“This platform transforms decades of science into a tool for action—showing when, where, and how to protect whales in a rapidly changing ocean.”
Key features of the platform include:
● Whale movement maps by species and time of year that can be produced and shared.
● Conservation data from partners such as the IUCN Marine Mammal Taskforce’s Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs), and other ecologically important zones, to inform future marine protected areas design and planning.
● Overlapping threats, including shipping routes, fishing effort, and climate change layers.
● Case studies, highlighting hotspots where whales are most vulnerable and which solutions governments can action.
Collaborating for conservation
“This is the future of conservation – open, collaborative, and grounded in science,” said Dr Ryan Reisinger, co-lead of the initiative from the University of Southampton. “By linking threats with solutions, this platform supports smarter, more coordinated marine planning that spans sectors and borders.”
BlueCorridors.org builds on the collaborative “Protecting Blue Corridors” report (2022), which mapped global whale migration for the first time and outlined targeted regional conservation actions—from the Eastern Pacific and Mediterranean to the Southern Ocean. The new, digital platform meets the growing need for open-access, science-based marine connectivity tools, with peer-reviewed publications on its methodology and collaborative design to follow later in 2025.
“This is more than a map—it’s a movement.”
“This is more than a map—it’s a movement,” said Johnson. “By combining cutting-edge science, digital innovation, and creative storytelling, we’re giving whales a fighting chance. This platform represents a rare alignment across science, civil society, and policy—all working together to protect the ocean’s giants through transparency, data, and shared commitment.”
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