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Why Noah's Ark won't work

For ocean species to survive climate change, large populations needed

[Commentary] Why is marine conservation still an unchartered zone?

A glance at the map of India is enough to understand how vast and wide-ranging the country’s biophysical environment is — from alpine meadows on the Himalayan slopes to coral reefs along the ocean floors.

Marine reserves work as they protect the oldest and largest animals

After centuries of fishing we do not know what natural conditions are. Only marine reserves will give us such insights

World Oceans Day 2019: "Together we can protect and restore our ocean"

8 June 2019, New York, United States of America

Message from the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, on the occasion of the World Oceans Day, 8 June 2019: “Gender and the Ocean”.

Message from the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, on the occasion of the World Oceans Day, 8 June 2019: “Gender and the Ocean”

Call for information to support the objectives of the Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the North East Atlantic, 23-27 September 2019, and Training Session on Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, – 22 September 2019, Stockholm, Sweden

Reference: SCBD/SPS/SBG/AS/JA/JG/88146 (2019-050)
To: CBD National Focal Points; SBSTTA Focal Points; Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Focal Points; relevant United Nations/international organizations; indigenous peoples and local communities; OSPAR Commission; NEAFC; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; Regional Fisheries Bodies; and other relevant global and regional organizations/initiatives

From sharks in seagrass to manatees in mangroves, we’ve found large marine species in some surprising places

When we think of mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltmarshes, we don’t immediately think of shark habitats.

Scientists fear impact of deep-sea mining on search for new medicines

Bacteria from the ocean floor can beat superbugs and cancer. But habitats are at risk from the hunger for marine minerals

Peer review of CBD Technical Series No. 87: Assessing Progress towards Aichi Biodiversity Target 6 on Sustainable Fisheries

Reference: SCBD/SSSF/AS/SBG/JA/JG/88129 (2019-047)
To: CBD National Focal Points, Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points, IPLCs and other relevant organizations

Underwater Arctic forests are expanding with rapid warming

Lush underwater forests of large brown seaweeds (kelps) are particularly striking in the Arctic, especially in contrast to the land where ice scour (scraping of sea ice against the sea floor) and harsh climates leave the ground barren with little vegetation.

UNESCO conference emphasizes need for sustainable water security

PARIS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The first UNESCO International Water Conference, which aims to present innovative solutions to problems related to the governance and management of water, opened here on Monday.

Very fishy: warming oceans linked to rise in tropical species in New Zealand water

Warming ocean temperatures have been blamed for luring tropical fish thousands of kilometres into New Zealand waters, threatening vulnerable native species as they compete for resources.

Here are 6 signs that the future for our oceans is not all bad

It’s easy to lose sight of good news amid the barrage of negative stories about the threats facing the ocean—everything from growing plastic pollution to dying coral reefs.

Pollution-proof fish borrow genes from relatives to survive toxins

In comic books, falling into a vat of toxic chemicals can give you super powers. The same is sort of true for one species of fish – with help from a superhero relative.

New clues to coastal erosion

New research has uncovered a missing nutrient source in coastal oceans, which could promote better water quality and sand management on popular beaches.

In Indonesia, bigger catches for a fishing village protecting its mangroves

SUNGAI NIBUNG, Indonesia — The phone signal comes and goes and the electricity grid has yet to reach this patch of jungle on the west coast of Borneo.

What’s the future for Sri Lanka’s ‘lost’ population of whales?

This is the same sperm whale pod Blue Planet filmed off Sri Lanka – but flocking tourists are making it less of a safe place for these stunning animals

On Java’s Coast, A Natural Approach to Holding Back the Waters

The Indonesian island of Java has lost 70 percent of the mangroves that once protected its coast from erosion and flooding.

With Ocean Health Declining, Biodiversity Convention Must Respond

A study published in January in the journal Science found that the oceans are heating up faster than predicted, resulting in rising sea levels, acidification and deoxygenation that are destroying coral reefs and have the potential to bring forth more extreme weather events.

Marine Virus Survey Reveals Biodiversity Hot Spots

Ocean samples collected from around the world produced a twelvefold increase in the number of marine viruses known.

Secretary-General’s Report Identifies Ways to Advance Ocean Science

April 2019: The UN Secretary-General has released a report on oceans and the law of the sea. The report presents an overview of ocean science, highlights gaps in information, knowledge and capacity, and suggests ways to fill existing gaps and advance ocean science.

Freezing corals to safeguard their future

Corals are animals — yes, immobile animals — with peculiar sex lives.

Scientists discover nearly 200,000 viruses hidden in the Earth's oceans

Nearly 200,000 new marine viruses were identified in the Earth’s oceans by a team of scientists who spent four years travelling the world on a research boat.

Seabird Poop Speeds Up Coral Growth

Conservation plans should consider such links between land-based and marine ecosystems

Blue Planet: The Nature Conservancy unveils $1.6 billion bid to save the oceans

Global non-profit The Nature Conservancy has announced a $1.6 billion plan to help save and restore the world's oceans by selling "blue bonds" to coastal and island countries.

Seychelles president makes underwater speech calling for protection for oceans

The Seychelles president has gone below the surface of the Indian Ocean to call for better protection for the world's seas. Danny Faure said that a healthy ocean was "crucial for the survival of humanity" in a broadcast made 124m (406ft) below sea level.

Oceans in crisis

The surface of our Blue Planet is 71 percent ocean – benign, mysterious and threatening in equal measure. But today the oceans themselves are in a state of crisis and change as a result of human actions. We harvest the seas for their abundant food, mineral, and energy resources.

Coral reef microbes have distinct day and night rhythms

The microorganisms that help keep coral reef ecosystems healthy and thriving have different levels of activity at night and during the day, according to a new study. Corals are just one part of a reef ecosystem, and each piece plays a key role in the health and adaptability of coral reefs.

30 per cent by 2030? Study maps out how to protect the world’s oceans

As governments work towards an international pledge to protect at least 10 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2020, scientists are proposing an even wider movement to save more than one-third of the marine ecosystem.

Ocean uproar: saving marine life from a barrage of noise

Ship engines, underwater blasts, sonar and oil drilling are filling the seas with sound. Researchers are now trying to pin down the damage humanity’s growing acoustic footprint has on ocean life.

Squid team finds high species diversity off Kermadec Islands, part of stalled marine reserve proposal

Squids and octopuses could be considered the “parrots of the ocean”. Some are smart, and many have complex behaviours. And, of course, they have strange, bird-like beaks. They are the subject of ancient myths and legends about sea monsters, but they do not live for decades. In fact, their high i ...

Pacific Coral Reefs Can Be Saved By Getting Climate Under Control

Coral reefs can be saved and made more resilient by getting the climate under control, believes Rosemary Steinberg, a research at the University of New South Wales. She said the Islanders need to work closely with local corporations and businesses to help make the reefs more resilient.

Great Barrier Reef: Mass decline in 'coral babies', scientists say

The number of new corals on Australia's Great Barrier Reef has plunged by 89% since unprecedented bleaching events in 2016 and 2017, scientists say. The events, which damaged two-thirds of the world's largest reef system, are now being blamed for triggering a collapse in coral re-growth last year.

Lord Howe Island coral bleaching 'most severe we've ever seen', scientists say

Researchers have documented what they are describing as the most severe coral bleaching to hit the world’s southern-most reef at Lord Howe Island.

Monaco Blue Initiative takes a step forward to the Blue Economy at Ocean Week.

Rethinking the ocean management and conservation in a sustainable way is routed through a series of concrete actions taken at international level. That is the common thread of Monaco Blue Initiative, a panel of leading socio-economic experts and policy makers launched in 2010 by H.S.H. Prince Al ...

Hudson river shows signs of rebound after decades as New York's sewer

The presence of large sturgeon is just one indicator that the waterway is recovering from serious industrial pollution.New York’s Hudson river, once known as America’s Rhine in a nod to the famous European waterway, played a pivotal role in bolstering American power at the cost of decades of fou ...

CBD Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the North-East Atlantic Ocean, 23 to 27 September 2019, and Training Session on EBSAs, 22 September 2019 — Stockholm, Sweden

Reference: SCBD/SSSF/AS/JA/JG/87789 (2019-036)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points and Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Focal Points in the North-East Atlantic region (Belgium, Denmark, European Union, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland); indigenous peoples and local communities; OSPAR Commission; NEAFC; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; and other relevant global and regional organizations/initiatives

Organizational Session of the Intergovernmental Conference on an International Legally Binding Instrument under UNCLOS on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (UNCLOS)

25 March - 5 April 2019, New York, United States of America

Let's build on the plastics revolution – and save our marine habitats

If people knew the wonder of the UK’s marine habitats they would want to protect them – TV shows like Blue Planet can help. The life of a conservationist often feels like one long struggle, taking little-known challenges and trying to make them mainstream. How do environmental issues move from n ...

World Water Day 2019

22 March 2019, New York, United States of America

Australie : des milliers de requins meurent afin de protéger les surfeurs

Les vidéos ont été tournées en mars par des membres d’organisations de protection de l’environnement. Les scènes qu’on y voit se déroulent au nord-est de l’Australie, au large des plages de l’Etat du Queensland. Deux requins sont pris au piège, un gros hameçon coincé dans la bouche, et agonisent ...

More acidic seas devour marine food web

As more acidic seas spread across the globe, conditions for survival start to change. That could close vast volumes of ocean for vital forms of life.

Startup called Coral Vita wants to protect corals by farming them

As a scuba-diver, Sam Teicher has long been worried about threats to coral reefs, including pollution and global warming.After college, he worked on a reef restoration project on the island of Mauritius, off the coast of Africa. He wanted to continue this work. But he knew it would be expensive ...

Freshwater fishes and other threatened but overlooked biodiversity must be new flagships for conservation (commentary)

“Why on earth would anyone give up working on tigers to focus on freshwater fish?” is the question I am asked most frequently since becoming the Executive Director of Shoal, a new initiative for freshwater biodiversity.

Review of noise impacts on marine mammals yields new policy recommendations

Marine mammals are particularly sensitive to noise pollution because they rely on sound for so many essential functions, including communication, navigation, finding food, and avoiding predators. An expert panel has now published a comprehensive assessment of the available science on how noise e ...

Italy’s first coral reef has been discovered

In an exciting scientific discovery, researchers in the Italian Adriatic coast have found the country’s very first coral reef and one which they believe may be unique to the entirety of Europe.

Israel moves pristine corals after restricted beach reopens

For 50 years an Israeli oil company kept bathers and scuba divers away from a prime strip of beach in the Red Sea resort of Eilat. But it couldn’t stop the sea life.

Unprecedented number of warm-water species moved northward during marine heatwave

During the marine heatwave of 2014-16, scientists from the University of California, Davis, noticed creatures typically seen only in places like Baja California, Mexico, showing up outside the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. These included warm-water species of jellyfish, crabs, nudibranchs, ...

Inner Mongolia reports increasing biodiversity in major lakes

North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region said three major lakes in the region have seen improved ecological environment and increased biodiversity in recent years.