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Studying marine biodiversity from pole to pole

Many scientists around the world are studying marine biodiversity—the variety of life forms in the ocean.

Ocean acidification ‘changing’ marine biodiversity

As global powers meet in Poland at the 24th Conference of Parties (COP 24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a study led by Stanford University sheds light on the impact of human-induced environmental change on the functioning of ecosystems, especially marine life.

How do coral reefs benefit Kenya's economy?

Coral reefs contain the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. They're crucial for fish reproduction and protecting shorelines from tropical storms.

WWF: EU falling behind with sustainable fisheries policy implementation

Despite having had five years to implement measures in the latest version of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), European Union member states are still lagging behind and likely to miss important 2020 deadlines on biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries management, a new report from W ...

Exclusive photos show deep-sea canyon in U.S. waters teeming with life

A stunning array of biodiversity lies at the depths of a marine region that some fear the Trump administration will open to fishing and mining.

Seabird numbers 'at risk due to fishing' according to Aberdeen study

World fisheries should be more strictly managed to relieve pressure on seabird numbers, Aberdeen experts have said.

Sustainable Ocean Day

23 November 2018, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt

Launch of the Global Coral Portal

Reference: SCBD/SSSF/BSPG/AS/JL/JA/87674 (2018-093)
To: CBD National Focal Points, Marine and Coastal Biodiversity National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points, indigenous peoples and local communities, International Coral Reef Initiative, Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security, and other relevant global and regional organizations/initiatives

Parrotfish, critical to reef health, now protected under Mexican law

Mexico protected 10 species of parrotfish in October, a move that conservationists say will help the country’s coral reefs recover, in addition to safeguarding the species’ numbers.

Billions to be gained in coral reef investment, new analysis shows

New findings released offer a compelling business case for investing in the protection of the world’s coral reefs, with economic benefits stretching into the tens of billions in just over a decade.

The tiny sponge that could help preserve our deep oceans

Scientists have collected data on a tiny sponge thought to be at risk from seabed mining. This newly discovered species could be a 'canary in a coal mine' to allow scientists to monitor the impacts of this new industry.

The lobster rush

The iconic crustaceans have disappeared in waters to the south. If they keep heading north to Canada, high-flying young lobstermen may pay the biggest price.

The world’s largest-ever octopus gathering was just discovered in California

Octopuses don’t hang out in posses, or at least that’s what marine biologists thought. Now, however, after spotting a convention of thousands of such cephalopods deep in the seas of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California on Oct. 23, scientists might have to rethink this contention.

As jellyfish population becomes a worldwide menace, how we treat our oceans needs urgent change

The Goa government has issued a warning to beach-goers that the state's beaches and coastal waters have swarms of live and dead jellyfish.

Budapest's underwater wonderland draws divers from far and wide

Not every diver's dream is to watch shimmering shoals of fish swim through coral reefs in dazzlingly blue seas.For Laura Tuominen, the ultimate diving experience is not to be found in the Red Sea or the Caribbean, but in a labyrinth of spectacular underwater caves beneath the pavements of Budapest.

Will China cast its vote for Antarctica, and the planet?

Beijing could be the key to unlocking a positive outcome at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), writes American marine biologist Sylvia Earle.

New hope for a Canadian coral reef damaged by bottom trawl fishing gear

Canadian fisheries scientists have discovered a large number of intact colonies of living coral off Cape Breton in a reef complex that had been turned to rubble by decades of bottom trawl fishing gear.

If You Drink Glenmorangie Whisky, You Can Help Rebuild Scotland's Oyster Reefs

In Scotland's highlands, the Glenmorangie whisky distillery has gone beyond merely making whisky and into marine conservation. Working with Heriot Watt University and the Marine Conservation Society, 20,000 oysters will be introduced into the sea near the distillery in the Dornoch Firth - firth ...

Mysterious ‘Headless Chicken Monster’ Spotted in Ocean Near Antarctica

This is the first time this strange creature was spotted outside the Gulf of Mexico. A group of researchers have filmed a type of sea creature known as a “headless chicken monster” swimming in waters near Antarctica for the first time. The discovery was made as part of an effort to discover new ...

California’s Underwater Forests Are Being Eaten by the ‘Cockroaches of the Ocean’

Early on a gray summer Saturday, an unusual assemblage — commercial fishermen, recreational boaters, neoprene-clad divers — gathered for a mission at Albion Cove, a three-hour drive north of San Francisco.

World Food Day: Fish gone, people gone

On World Food Day, WWF warns against the dramatic impact of overfished oceans on people around the globe. Currently, 33 percent of fish stocks are overfished (in the Mediterranean it is 85 percent) with a further 60 percent at maximum capacity with no possibility to increase catches without over ...

Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Capacity-building Workshop for Northern Africa and the Mediterranean

15 - 19 October 2018, Tangier, Morocco

Tasmania's Newly Discovered Volcanic 'Lost World' Is A Haven For Marine Life

Australian scientists have discovered a previously unknown chain of volcanic seamounts near Tasmania. The area appears to be brimming with marine life, including a surprising number of whales who may be using the undersea volcanoes as a navigational tool.

Veterans on a new mission to save the coral reef damaged by hurricanes

A group of military veterans have become eco-warriors on a new mission to save coral reef off the coast of Florida that's been damaged by hurricanes. The "Force Blue" dive team is a group of a dozen of some of America's very best. They're all former Marines, Navy SEALs and special ops on a missi ...

Cryptic coral reef creatures show cross-shelf biodiversity patterns

Cryptic fauna—small organisms that inhabit the hidden spaces within a reef structure—represent a substantial proportion of the diversity within coral reefs but are typically neglected in traditional visual surveys, which tend to focus on large and conspicuous species, such as fish and corals.

Great Southern Reef to lose huge seaweed habitat to ocean warming

Research into the future of Australia's "other reef" – the Great Southern Reef – shows that even under the most optimistic carbon emission scenarios, ocean warming is likely to cause substantial loss of critical habitat-forming seaweeds by 2100.

World Maritime Day 2018

28 September 2018, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Large stretches of coral reefs can be rehabilitated

Even after being severely damaged by blast fishing and coral mining, coral reefs can be rehabilitated over large scales using a relatively inexpensive technique, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis, in partnership with Mars Symbioscience.

Call for submission of information on the implementation of (i) the Priority Actions to Achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 for Coral Reefs and Closely Associated Ecosystems, (ii) the Voluntary Specific Workplan on Biodiversity in Cold-water Areas within the Jurisdictional Scope of the Convention, and (iii) the Voluntary Practical Guidance on Preventing and Mitigating the Impacts of Marine Debris on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity and Habitats

Reference: SCBD/SPS/AS/JL/JA/JMQ/87674 (2018-080)
To: CBD National Focal Points, Marine and Coastal Biodiversity National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points, indigenous peoples and local communities, and relevant global and regional organizations/initiatives

Chartering the uncharted waters

Fishing in the high seas yields precious genetic resources, which every country covets but has no jurisdiction over. How to make this extraction fair and sustainable? Enter the UN’s Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity.

In boost to ocean conservation, UK to call for 30 per cent of seas to be protected by 2030

In a move hailed by campaigners as a critical step for ocean conservation, Britain will call on global leaders at the United Nations to protect 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030, a trebling of the current target.

Marine forests - Natures own carbon capture and storage

Kelp forests and seagrass meadows soak up carbon dioxide and help protect our coasts against rising seas. Just two reasons why we should learn to love our marine forests.

Jellyfish robots to be used to monitor fragile coral reefs

A soft robot jellyfish that can swim through openings narrower than its body could be used to monitor delicate delicate environments in the ocean, scientists have said.

How phytoplankton survive in ocean gyres with low nutrient supplies

Subtropical gyres are huge, sustained currents spanning thousands of kilometers across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, where very little grows.

Latest UNESCO update confirms remaining within 1.5°C climate target is critical for survival of World Heritage-listed coral reefs

Today, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre released an update to its 2017 first global scientific assessment of the impact of climate change on UNESCO World Heritage coral reefs.

Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Subregional Capacity-building Workshop for the Coral Triangle

31 July - 3 August 2018, Jakarta, Indonesia

Sustainable Ocean Initiative Capacity-Building Workshop for Northern-Africa and the Mediterranean, 15 – 19 October 2018 – Tangier, Morocco

Reference: SCBD/SPS/AS/SG/JL/JA/JMQ/87396 (2018-062)
To: CBD National Focal Points, Marine and Coastal Biodiversity National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points in the northern Africa and the Mediterranean region: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, the European Union, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey; indigenous peoples and local communities; Mediterranean Action Plan/UNEP; General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean; ACCOBAMS; MedPAN, and other relevant global or regional organizations/initiatives

First meeting of the Informal Advisory Group on Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs)

30 June - 1 July 2018, Montreal, Canada

The ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSA) booklet series provide snapshot summaries of the pages upon pages of data compiled by participating experts, to provide an inspiring overview of some of the most ecologically or biologically significant ocean areas in the world. In this edition looking at the North Pacific, discover a region of contrasts, spanning the tips of the tropical waters of the Pacific islands and the warm shores of Mexico, to the windswept cliffs of the Aleutian Islands and the depths of the almost otherworldly deep seabed. It is a dynamic and turbulent region, with churning deep-sea hydrothermal vents, migratory species crossing the vast Pacific, and powerful ocean gyres and currents.

Composition of the informal advisory group for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas

Reference: SCBD/SPS/AS/SBG/JL/JG/86569 (2018-056)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points, and Marine and Coastal Biodiversity National Focal Points; relevant organizations; and indigenous peoples and local communities

World Oceans Day 2018 (http://www.un.org/en/events/oceansday/)

8 June 2018, New York, United States of America

No matter where we live, every other breath we take comes from the Ocean’s breath – from the oxygen produced by its phytoplankton and its rich marine plant life.

Message of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Cristiana Paşca Palmer, on the occasion of World Oceans Day 8 June 2018

Sustainable Ocean Initiative Sub-Regional Capacity-Building Workshop for the Coral Triangle, 31 July – 3 August 2018 – Jakarta, Indonesia

Reference: SCBD/SPS/AS/JL/JA/JMQ/87344 (2018-038)
To: CBD National Focal Points, Marine and Coastal Biodiversity National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points in the Coral Triangle region (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste), indigenous peoples and local communities, and other relevant global and regional organizations/initiatives

Statement by Dr. Cristiana Pașca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, at the opening of the Second Meeting of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies on Accelerating Progress Towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 10-13 April 2018

Statement by Dr. Cristiana Pașca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, at the opening of the Second Meeting of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies on Accelerating Progress Towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 10-13 April 2018

Second meeting of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fisheries Bodies on Accelerating Progress Towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and Sustainable Development Goals

10 - 13 April 2018, Seoul, Republic of Korea

World Water Day 2018: "Nature for Water" (http://www.un.org/en/events/waterday/)

22 March 2018, New York, United States of America

Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the Baltic Sea and Training Session on EBSAs

19 - 24 February 2018, Helsinki, Finland

Expert Workshop on Marine Protected Areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures for Achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 in Marine and Coastal Areas

6 - 9 February 2018, Montreal, Canada