The MIMBU Papua New Guinea Marine Biodiversity Database 2007. Gaps in Knowledge and a Call for Action -

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Biology

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In addition to occupying 70% of the Earth's surface, the oceans constitute over 90% of the volume of the biosphere. They contain the evolutionary origins of biodiversity on Earth, with 75% of the major taxa of organisms being exclusively or primarily marine. The unique physical and chemical properties of our oceans render them excellent hosts for an abundance and diversity of life. However, we must first understand the biological and ecological factors controlling the marine environment before we can successfully develop global strategies for sustainable use. The biological factors controlling living marine resources collectively act as a fundamental constraint of sustainable development; as ocean policy-makers attempt to satisfy the socioeconomic aspirations of expanding human populations, they must also ensure the long-term viability of resources and habitats. Click here for a 1.4 Mb pdf file with an overview report of our current knowledge of Ocean Biology (Baseline Report of the Census of Marine Life - 2003.)

Photo title: Sea Turtle, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Photo credit: NOAA

Census of Marine Life

In 1997, scientists and other stakeholders conceived of a program that would promote research to locate and quantify organisms in the sea. The result was the Census of Marine Life (CoML), an international research program that seeks to assess and explain changes in diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. The emphasis of the program is field studies, which are to be conducted in poorly known habitats as well as those assumed to be well-known. Through field studies and other projects, ranging from analyzing historical documents to modeling future ecosystems, the CoML will enable scientists to compare what once lived in the oceans to current populations, as well as to project what will inhabit the oceans of the future. Through a developing partnership with the UN Atlas of the Oceans, the CoML has assumed editorial responsibility for the Biology section of the Atlas. To learn more about CoML field projects, click this link! See More...

Ocean Biogeographic Information System

As data concerning living marine resource distribution and abundance accumulates, it has become clear that the multitude of independent databases harboring such information do not, individually, provide an adequate or easily accessible medium for a globally integrated, geo-referenced quantitative information system. Therefore, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) was created as a component of the Census of Marine Life (CoML) to serve as a consortium of interoperable databases of marine life information that maintain a high degree of individual autonomy. See More...

Ecology

In the ocean, a certain interdependency exists between its living things. Ocean inhabitants enjoy a deep and intricate relationship between each other, as well as with their marine environment. To explore the relationship between Biology and Ecology in more depth, please visit the Ecology section of the UN Atlas! See More...

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The MIMBU Papua New Guinea Marine Biodiversity Database 2007. Gaps in Knowledge and a Call for Action ( DOCUMENT )

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