Search Results

Selected participants for the online discussion forum on ecologically or biologically significant marine areas in preparation for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

Reference: SCBD/SSSF/JL/JA/JG/90316 (2022-056)
To: CBD National Focal Points; Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Focal Points; SBSTTA Focal Points; indigenous peoples and local communities; and relevant organizations

Where did these holes in the ocean floor come from? 'Nobody knows,' says scientist

Social media users consider aliens or sea monsters — but NOAA researcher suspects an animal culprit. Mysterious, neatly aligned holes have been discovered deep in the ocean — and scientists are stumped about their origin.

The sharks of the St. Lawrence, managers of the ocean pantry

The basking shark feeds on the surface with its mouth wide open to filter plankton, explains the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory (archives).

Online Discussion Forum on ecologically or biologically significant marine areas in preparation for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

Reference: SCBD/SSSF/JL/SK/JA/JM/90316 (2022-047)
To: CBD National Focal Points; Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Focal Points; SBSTTA Focal Points; indigenous peoples and local communities; and relevant organizations

Applying the concept of liquid biopsy to monitor the microbial biodiversity of marine coastal ecosystems

Liquid biopsy (LB) is a concept that is rapidly gaining ground in the biomedical field. Its concept is largely based on the detection of circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) fragments that are mostly released as small fragments following cell death in various tissues. A small percentage of these f ...

St. Lawrence shoreline erosion: We must work with, not against, nature

The St. Lawrence riverbanks are eroding. This has an impact on infrastructure, economy and inhabitants’ well-being. It exposes communities to flooding and can destroy local ecosystems.

How the Ocean Sustains Complex Life

Search “ocean zones” online, and you will see hundreds of illustrations that depict the same vertical profile of the sea. The thin, top layer is the “sunlight” or epipelagic zone, which receives enough light for photosynthesis by phytoplankton, algae and some bacteria.

Marine ranching helps restore biodiversity in south China island

When Wang Aimin, then a professor of oceanic science at Hainan University, started helping with marine ranching by dropping artificial reefs into seawater in 2011, he was ridiculed by local divers.

Young Māori divers hunt invasive crown-of-thorns starfish to save coral reefs

Every Saturday, a group of Cook Island Māori youth slide into scuba gear, grab sticks from the ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) growing along Rarotonga’s beachfront, and head to the reef surrounding the island. Their mission; to dive for invasive taramea (crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanth ...

15 Issues That Could Greatly Impact Marine and Coastal Biodiversity

Researchers have listed fifteen areas of concern, emphasizing the need to tackle these issues. Examples include the mining of lithium from the deep sea, exploitation of species found in deeper waters, and the unforeseen effects of wildfires across different ecosystems.

Seal of approval? Rescue services warn approaching Australian marine wildlife can be fraught

If you ever stumble upon a seal pup far from home, best leave it alone and call for help. Humans (and their dogs) can pose a danger to seals, and the marine mammals can give humans tuberculosis.

Colorful new corals bedeck the busy waters off Hong Kong, study shows

In the eastern waters off Hong Kong, a group of scientists searching for coral-eating nudibranchs stumbled upon a colorful surprise: three new species of sun corals. These orange, purple and green corals belong to the genus Tubastraea, bringing the known members of this coral group from seven sp ...

Shedding new light on coral's Black Band Disease

UNC-Chapel Hill biologists examine the links between microbial mats and a type of coral disease that has become an urgent conservation concern, and they suggest mitigation strategies to help reduce its spread.

Two whale rescues in one day prompt fresh call for removal of shark nets in Queensland

Two whales that became entangled in shark nets on the Queensland coast have been freed after being stuck for several hours.

Sharks: Facts about the ocean's apex predators

Long portrayed in pop culture as remorseless people-killers, sharks in reality are no Hollywood monsters. Sharks are a diverse group of mostly predatory fish, including the largest living fish, with skeletons made of cartilage.

‘White gold’: why shrimp aquaculture is a solution that caused a huge problem

In the 1980s, farmers in Bangladesh went from paddies to ponds, letting salt water flood their land. Now millions are left counting the cost

Scientific knowledge essential for sustainable oceans, UN Ocean Conference hears

The Conference’s fourth day, focused on the role of the scientific community, to enable the blue transformation of humankind’s relationship with the ocean.

How bottom trawling hurts ocean life and speeds up climate change

When Bryce Stewart dived after the toothed, steel-weighted nets of a scallop dredger rumbling over the bottom of the Irish Sea 22 years ago, he witnessed destruction he could never have seen from a boat.

A year before deep-sea mining could begin, calls for a moratorium build

At the U.N. Ocean Conference taking place this week in Lisbon, momentum has been building in support of a moratorium on deep-sea mining, an activity projected to have far-reaching consequences for marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and global fisheries.

United Nations “Ocean emergency” conference opens in Lisbon

With climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution exacting a devastating toll on the world’s ocean — critical to food security, economic growth, and the environment — the 2022 UN Ocean Conference opened in Lisbon, Portugal with a call for a new chapter of ocean action driven by science, techn ...

Nuclear applications could help in controlling plastic pollution: IAEA at UN Ocean Conference

Highlighting the IAEA’s initiative, Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics), launched last year, Mr Grossi emphasized that nuclear applications could help both in the ocean and on land.

Portuguese PM calls on UN Oceans conference to produce ‘drastic actions’

The UN Oceans Conference, which is set to run until Friday in Lisbon, should define “drastic actions” to address the ocean emergency, Prime Minister António Costa tweeted on Tuesday after meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Lisbon.

How the Fashion Industry Is Tackling Three Major Impacts on Our Ocean - Bringing Hope for the Decade of the Ocean

The old adage ‘There’s plenty more fish in the sea’ has been replaced with the inconceivable ‘By 2050 plastics in the ocean will outweigh fish’ (according to a report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in partnership with The World Economic Forum).

Global Experts and Practitioners Unite to Improve Ocean Health by Tackling Systemic Challenges in Marine Management

Global experts from the United Nations Environment Programme, The Nature Conservancy, governments, research agencies, and the private sector are coming together to share best practices in improving marine management based on lessons learned around the world.

Oceans Great Dying 2.0: Earth’s climate moderator is warming, faster

Oceans are heating up as they cross their natural capacity to sink carbon and atmospheric heat induced by GHGs emissions. It will further disrupts life above the oceans

Why the UN Ocean Conference is a key step on the road to recovering ocean health

A healthy ocean is critical to all life on Earth, and the UN Ocean Conference is a step in this direction. However, the ocean’s health is declining – from overfishing to acidification.

UN chief calls for more efforts to conserve world’s oceans

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants countries to step up their efforts to conserve the world’s marine resources even as he acknowledged the progress made since the last UN Ocean Conference.

UN members 'need to urgently scale up actions' to protect the ocean: Vivian Balakrishnan

Members of the United Nations (UN) "need to urgently scale up actions" to protect the ocean and mitigate the impacts of climate change, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said at the Second United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon on Tuesday

Trade in ocean goods shows resilience, UNCTAD data reveals

Trade in ocean-based goods showed remarkable resilience during the recession induced by COVID-19 in 2020, according to the latest available data from a new UNCTAD database. Such goods include resources either sourced from the ocean, made from marine resources or manufactured for marine activities.

UN Ocean Conference: Colombia first nation to achieve 30x30 goal

The United Nations Ocean Conference is currently underway in Portugal’s Lisbon. Ending on 1 July, the conference is attended by heads of state from 20 countries. In the opening speech of the event on 27 June, UN secretary general António Guterres has declared an “ocean emergency” and urged gover ...

More than 150 companies take principled stand at UN Ocean Conference

At the Sustainable Blue Economy Investment Forum in Cascais, Portugal, a special UN Ocean Conference event, more than 150 major companies have signaled their commitment to a healthy ocean by signing onto the UN Global Compact Sustainable Ocean Principles.

For fisheries in the Caribbean, life revolves around the climate… and our climate resilience

“Life revolves around the climate,” says José Luis “Pepe” Gerhartz, a senior conservation specialist from the Caribbean Biological Corridor Initiative, or CBC, a joint initiative between Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico.

The three global agreements that could change the future of the oceans

The oceans cover about 70% of the planet’s surface and are the main regulators of global climate. They produce much of the oxygen we breathe and support enormous biodiversity, far richer than what we see on land. But they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.

Life in the abyss, a spectacular and fragile struggle for survival

Cloaked in darkness and mystery, the creatures of the deep oceans exist in a world of unlikely profusion, surviving on scant food and under pressure that would crush human lungs.

Information webinar on the outcomes of the online discussion forum on conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity in preparation for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, 20 June 2022

Reference: SCBD/SSSF/JL/SK/JA/JG/90395 (2022-039)
To: CBD National Focal Points; Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Focal Points; SBSTTA Focal Points; indigenous peoples and local communities; and relevant organizations

The ocean is not a quiet place

For a long time, the great ocean explorers used sight to reveal the secrets of the marine environment, downplaying its acoustic aspects. Indeed, the ocean has long been considered a place devoid of any sound.

Seals use whiskers to track prey in deep ocean, study shows

When they are in the deep, dark ocean, seals use their whiskers to track down their prey, a study has confirmed after observing the sea mammals in their natural habitat.

What does a healthy coral reef sound like?

When a team of scientists listened to an audio clip recorded underwater off islands in central Indonesia, they heard unusual sounds - something which sounded like a crackling campfire.

World Oceans Day

8 June 2022, New York, United States of America

Amazon River freshwater fish show signs of overexploitation

As the cherished rainforest in South America's Amazon River region continues to shrink, the river itself now presents evidence of other dangers: the overexploitation of freshwater fish.

Worms in the seas of southern Africa: We're on a journey to setting the record straight

Polychaetes are segmented worms that live in nearly all marine habitats, from the shallow seashore or estuaries to the deep sea. They are very abundant, often making up as much as 70% of the animals found in an area. Not only are there many of them, but they are very important in contributing to ...

Online discussion forum on conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity in preparation for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

8 - 15 June 2022, Online

Statement by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of World Oceans Day 2022

Statement by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of World Oceans Day 2022

Postponement of the online discussion forum on conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity in preparation for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. New dates: 8-15 June 2022

Reference: SCBD/SSSF/JL/JA/JMQ/90315 (2022-036)
To: CBD National Focal Points; Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Focal Points; SBSTTA Focal Points; indigenous peoples and local communities; and relevant organizations

Selected participants for the Online Discussion Forum on conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity in preparation for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

Reference: SCBD/SSSF/JL/JA/JMQ/90315 (2022-037)
To: CBD National Focal Points; Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Focal Points; SBSTTA Focal Points; indigenous peoples and local communities; and relevant organizations

Marine biologists scramble to stop a deadly epidemic decimating coral reefs

Coral reefs around the world are in growing danger due to rising temperatures connected with climate change. But in Florida and the Caribbean, marine biologists are racing to fight a new deadly threat. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports.

The last hunt? Future in peril for ‘the unicorn of the sea’

Age Hammeken Danielsen has hunted narwhals since he was a child. He and his father would travel along Greenland’s fjords on a small motorboat, armed with rifles and harpoons and dressed in polar-bear fur trousers and sealskin boots to insulate them against the freezing weather.

Why sharks matter’: Q&A with author and shark biologist David Shiffman

In the introduction to his new book, conservation biologist David Shiffman quotes Senegalese forestry engineer and conservationist Baba Dioum: “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught,” Dioum says.

Those in peril in the sea

Human beings have been altering habitats—sometimes deliberately and sometimes accidentally—at least since the end of the last Ice Age. Now, though, that change is happening on a grand scale.