policy report - Census of Marine Life

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A DECADE OF DISCOVERYidentify research targets in countries and enhance localsupport for marine biodiversity projects. Some supportwas financial, such as providing the means to buildbridges between marine researchers and government andintergovernmental initiatives (such as Large MarineEcosystems projects), and some was “in kind,” such as theuse of local scientists, vessels, and laboratories to accomplishCensus research.OBIS’ open access to data from existing sources, regardlessof location, enables countries to make the bestuse of limited data and strengthen the datasets throughpooling from all possible sources. This may facilitatethe repatriation of data, such as historical data collectedpre-independence by colonizing countries.The Census provided a framework for cooperationand, in some cases, seed funding to develop proposalsfor more marine biodiversity research. For example, theCensus helped support the development of a successfulGlobal Environment Facility proposal involving Indonesia,Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Australiaincluding surveys of marine biodiversity and facilitatingan integrated, cooperative, sustainable, ecosystem-basedmanagement of the Arafura and Timor Seas.The Census also created educational opportunities[Figure 12], facilitated networking, and supportedhundreds of up-and-coming marine scientists. Thus,through its young alumni, the Census will contribute tothe generation of marine life knowledge for decades tocome. Program funding largely flowed through universitiesand research institutions, creating opportunities forlearning at all levels, from the work of dozens of post-doctoralfellows to graduate and even high school students,who participated in the nearshore monitoring project.Some projects sponsored early career professionaldevelopment programs, such as training awards for newscientific investigators. Most of the Census projects alsoheld taxonomic workshops to train young scientists inspecialist skills and knowledge for particular taxa andecosystems. These workshops, which contributed to theGlobal Taxonomic Initiative, were led by world expertswho, in most fields, are increasingly rare, as recognizedby the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.The Census projects shared technologies andapproaches across countries, resulting in increased institutionaland personal capacity, shared data standards,and complementary sampling and data collection forregional and global analysis. In the coastal (tidal andintertidal) zone, where the nearshore project served asan ambassador project, international cooperation andcapacity building were encouraged for inventoryingand monitoring coastal biodiversity and linking Censusgoals with local interests.Although the Census has helped to build capacityand awareness in new places, the needs are still great.With the help of its many partners, the capacity that12. The Census of Marine Life created many different types of educationalopportunities—for grade school children to the post-doctorallevel. Source: Megan Moews, Census of Coral Reefs Ecosystemshas been built will continue on as one of the legacies ofthe Census.5. Partnerships that maximize impactA primary goal of the Census was to generate knowledgeof marine life and, therefore, its main partnerships wereamong scientists and their institutions. As the Censusand its projects evolved, potential uses of the resultsbegan to emerge. To maximize the utility of its findingsfor management and policy applications, the Censusbuilt complementary relationships with other keypartners and worked to raise public awareness ofmarine life.Program-wide, the Census partnered with many, includingthe International Union for Conservation ofNature (IUCN), and the Convention on BiologicalDiversity. Both recognized the Census and OBIS assources of unbiased scientific information. Led by IUCN,the GOBI initiative and partnership will continue toprovide important services in translating scientific informationinto useful forms for open ocean policy makers.The Census projects each worked with many internationalagencies to provide scientific input, includingthe International Seabed Authority, the Commissionfor the Conservation of Antarctic Living Resources,and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN,as well as various national regulatory agencies.In 2009, the United Nations Environment Programmeand the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic12
SUMMARY FOR DECISION MAKERSCENSUS ENCOURAGEDCAPACITY BUILDINGThe Census created learning opportunities at all levelsand provided advancement opportunities for young researcherssuch as Eva Ramirez Llodra (Spain) and JoséAntonio Faría (Venezuela).Eva Ramirez LlodraAfter earning a PhD in marine biology from the Universityof Southampton, Eva became involved with theCensus as a post-doc at the National OceanographyCentre Southampton, where she agreed to coordinatethe Census deep-sea project on biogeography of deepwaterchemosynthetic ecosystems. Eva has since ledthe first global Synthesis of Biodiversity, Biogeographyand Ecosystem Function in the Deep Sea, and is presentlya co-principal investigator that will carry on theCensus work in the deep sea called the InternationalNetwork for Scientific Investigations of Deep-Sea EcosystemsProgram.Commission jointly published a survey of global andregional assessments and related marine activities,in response to the UN General Assembly (Resolution57/141) and heads of states and governments at theWorld Summit on Sustainable Development, to establisha regular process for the global reporting and assessmentof the state of the marine environment. This report(UNEP) noted the Census was one of few activities in thehigh and deep seas, which could help address new andemerging issues regarding the threats facing the deep sea.The report also cited the Census as a case study for lessonslearned in undertaking a broadly scoped initiative.Recognizing the need for public engagement andawareness, the Census partnered with NationalGeographic to produce videos and maps for the generalpublic. These videos have reached millions of viewersaround the globe via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, andthe Census portal, piquing the interest of Internet userswho would otherwise be unaware of what lives belowthe waves. Additionally, news releases, reported on averageby 24 global newswires and 321 online news sites (atleast once in some 31 languages and from media sitesspanning 95 countries) over the course of the Census,also helped to build public awareness. The Census collaboratedwith Galatee Films in the production of itsOceans movie, which brought marine life to millionsof viewers around the world. In addition, Censusprojects have informed their local publics throughmuseum and aquarium displays, school visits, art, andother outreach activities.José Antonio FaríaJosé Antonio holds a degree in Biology at UniversidadSimón Bolívar, Venezuela. He became involvedwith the Census as an undergraduate student workingin the Census nearshore project and works for theMiranda State Government, serving on the committeefor education, science, and technology, which coordinateseducational activities between the governmentand universities, research institutes, civil associations,and private companies.The Future of the Census of Marine Lifeand Marine Biodiversity ResearchMarine biodiversity research has come a long way in thelast decade, but, to continue to be useful to managersand policy makers, it needs to continue to grow andadapt to new challenges and questions that arise. Severalof the Census of Marine Life projects will continue,and some have joined together to form new researchprograms, such as the International Network forScientific Investigations of Deep-Sea Ecosystems. Onthe policy and managerial side, GOBI, spawned in partby the Census, will continue to use the Census networkand data as it works towards protection of the openocean and deep seas.The marine biodiversity community will meet at theWorld Conference on Marine Biodiversity in Aberdeenin September 2011 to discuss the next phase of researchand consider the big scientific questions that remainand how they fit into societal needs. However, muchcan be done with the information that is already available.On the next page are recommendations for howthis information can be used to help maintain, protectand rehabilitate marine life.CENSUS OF MARINE LIFE13
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