The MoU covers 29 range States (Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal (Madeira and Azores), São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain (Canary Islands) and Togo).

A first negotiation meeting, called WATCH I (Western African Talks on Cetaceans and their Habitats), held in Adeje, Tenerife, Spain in October 2007 further elaborated on a MoU.

Efforts to protect marine mammals and raise awareness of their conservation needs include convening of meetings, undertaking of studies and filed activities, adoption of legal instruments, as well as the development of international agreements.

The MoU protects the West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) and all populations of small cetaceans including the endemic Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszi).

Concerned by the conservation status of the manatees and small cetacean populations frequently visiting the coastal and inland waters of the region’s Western African range States, the range States decide to work closely together to achieve and maintain a favorable conservation status for the species and their habitats.

Meetings of Signatories are organized regularly to review the conservation status of manatees and small cetaceans and the implementation of the MoU and Action Plans.