A new study by the Working Group on Ballast and Other Ship Vectors (WGBOSV) of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the ICES Working Group on Introduction and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) indicates that introductions of aquatic non-indigenous species (ANS) have occurred at an alarming rate for the past 50 years.

Through its Marine Policy and Regional Coordination Section (IOC/MPR), the IOC is fully engaged in multi-agency consultation processes with the aim of fostering partnerships related to ocean and coastal matters.

Corporate author: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Language: English
Year of publication: 2020
Type of document: Programme and Meeting Document

The Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) is one of our flagship data systems. OBIS is a global data platform that integrates, quality controls and provides access to over 60 million occurrence records of 135,000 different marine species and that number is growing by millions every year. OBIS is built by the contribution of thousands of scientists who collaborate with data managers to make scientific data available for research, management and public awareness.

GOOS Observations Coordination Group launches a new Ocean Observing System Report Card and introduces the rebranding of OceanOPS (previously JCOMMOPS) along with its first-ever 5-year Strategic Plan (2021-2025), phased with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (“Ocean Decade”).

Less than twenty per cent of the world’s oceans have been explored so far. That is not a lot. But it is enough for us to know that the oceans are threatened by global warming, acidification, and pollution. Coral bleaching is just one illustration of the decline of marine ecosystems. The consequences are not just environmental. Nearly three billion people depend directly on marine and coastal biodiversity for their survival. By 2050, coastal areas that are home to300 million people could be threatened by rising sea levels due to climate change.

UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) has recently released a non-paper on its potential role in support of the negotiation process of a new international legally binding instrument (ILBI) for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).

Corporate author: UNESCO
Language: English
Also available in: French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic
Year of publication: 2021
Type of document: Magazine