Abstract
Since prehistoric times, human beings have kept a close relationship with marine mammals. Their meat and oil have been used for human life for long time. However, after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held at Stockholm in 1972, research style for marine mammals gradually shifted from catch method to non-lethal one. In the Earth Summit held at Rio de Janeiro in 1992, people recognized importance of conservation of environment in the earth and importance of coexistence with wild animals. Seventy-six species, over 70% of all marine mammals in the world, are at least known in the Asia-Oceania regions. Among them, Lipotes vexillifer, Platanista gangetica, Platanista minor, and Dugong dugon are on the verge of extinction by severe natural condition caused by human activities such as habitat degradation and marine pollution. In these several decades, endocrine disruptor chemicals pollute marine environment and seem to cause mass die-off of marine mammals in closed areas in the Northern Hemisphere. Taking into consideration of above situation and enhancement of research activities for conservation, I propose to establish the Society for Marine Mammalogy in Asia-Oceania Regions (SOMAOR).
