Important contribution to the ongoing controversies over the Sakhalin Island oil and gas development project.
From the publisher's announcement:
The population of western gray whales numbers only about 100 animals and is classified on IUCN's Red List as `critically endangered'. Under the auspices of IUCN, an independent scientific review panel was established to evaluate scientific aspects of western gray whale conservation in the context of Phase 2 of the Sakhalin II, an integrated oil and gas project being developed by the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company under a production sharing agreement with the Russian Federation and its Sakhalin Oblast. This report of the Panel provides a detailed consideration of the risks, the options for mitigation and the need for monitoring if and as oil and gas development proceeds.