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ABSTRACT The Greenland–Scotland Ridge is a submarine mountain that rises up to 500 m below the sea surface and extends from the east coast of Greenland to the continental shelf of Iceland and across the Faroe Islands to Scotland. The ridge not only separates deeper ocean basins on either side, that is, the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, but also forms a geomorphological barrier between the cold arctic water masses of the Nordic Seas and the comparably contrastingly warmer water of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is therefore situated at a strategic geographical position in relation to the effect of climate change in the Arctic region. Both the Arctic and the Atlantic subpolar ecosystems are facing each other at the ridge, creating oceanic fronts in the Denmark Strait and in the Iceland–Faroe ridge alike. This ridge in the subarctic area forms the southern boundary of the North Atlantic Gateway to the Arctic Ocean, affecting exchanges of oceanic currents and of marine organisms between the two main ecosystems in the Nordic polar region. For example, the appearance of natural invasive species such as the Atlantic mackerel in this region mainly occurred along the ridge, with arrival through the Scotland–Faroe Islands mount with subsequent waves of colonization which eventually reached the southern tip of Greenland. With the increasing impacts of climate change, such natural colonization through the ridge is likely to happen more frequently and affect regional ecosystems. Yet, the human resources and the economy of the local nations on the ridge are rather limited compared to neighboring countries. With a total of less than half a million people inhabiting the area and a total ocean surface of circa 3 million km2 of continental shelf, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Scotland will face critical challenges in the coming years with respect to biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of marine resources. Here is a summary of what we know, what we might expect, and an opening to potential discussions for the future of research in this region. The main objective of this paper is calling attention to much needed additional research effort on the marine environment around the Greenland–Scotland Ridge, instead of presenting a comprehensive overview of research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Understanding the factors determining marine community variations is important for biogeography and conservation. Beta diversity is a metric for mapping species composition variations between communities and regionalizing biota. Ecoregions are commonly used for regionalization, but their empirical testing has been limited. Our aim is to map marine species composition variations in the Western Atlantic, identify variables related to these variations, and regionalize areas based on community distribution. Additionally, we test whether currently proposed ecoregions represent unique biota units and specific environmental conditions. Location: Western Atlantic Ocean. Taxon: Vertebrates, invertebrates and algae. Methods: We constructed a large marine biodiversity database, including vertebrates, invertebrates, and algae, totalling over 4 million records. We used the generalized dissimilarity model (GDM) to identify variables most related to species composition variations and map beta‐diversity variations. We employed an unsupervised classifier for community regionalization. To test if the ecoregion regionalization boundaries are corroborated by species distribution data, we used the Sørensen index. To assess if ecoregions correspond to environmental units, we checked if areas had distinct environmental conditions using a PCA of 134 marine environmental variables. Results: The GDM explained a high variation in species composition, 61% in the complete database. Analysing vertebrates, invertebrates and algae separately also yielded relatively high results: 46%, 54%, and 33%, respectively. Coastal areas differed from open sea areas in composition. Environmental variables combined better explained beta diversity than isolated variables. The regionalization based on GDM was not congruent with ecoregion boundaries. Moreover, ecoregions showed no distinction in species composition or environmental conditions. Main Conclusions: This study's regionalization is crucial for marine biodiversity conservation, focusing on understanding species composition patterns between coastal and open sea areas to develop tailored conservation strategies. Despite sampling limitations, the study advances marine biogeography knowledge by analysing over 4 million species records and 134 environmental variables. This comprehensive approach enhances understanding marine species distribution and diversity and aiding the development of effective conservation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambitious European Union (EU) policies are aiming to halt and reverse marine biodiversity loss in the current decade. However, EU environmental and conservation policies have so far fallen short of their targets. This study explores how the key actors in policy interpretation and implementation frame their understandings of these policy objectives, and how these framings influence the protection of marine biodiversity. The results of a Q‐methodological study undertaken with key actors from national, regional sea, and EU governance levels reveal the existence of two predominant frames. Key actors are divided between Environmental Protection and Sustainable Use‐focused understandings, with the first framing further partitioning into four distinct subframes. All the identified frames are internally coherent and are firmly held, therefore begging the question of how EU conservation policy should proceed, given that the same policy texts and the marine biodiversity crisis are perceived in distinctly different ways, with different actions prioritized. It is important to understand and reflect on the different positioning of key actors because these differences directly influence the achievement of marine biodiversity goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine microbial communities form the basis for the functioning of marine ecosystems and the conservation of biodiversity. With the application of metagenomics and metatranscriptomics in marine environmental studies, significant progress has been made in analysing the functioning of microbial communities as a whole. These molecular techniques are highly dependent on reliable, well-characterised, comprehensive and taxonomically diverse sequenced reference transcriptomes of microbial organisms. Here we present a set of 12 individual transcriptome assemblies derived from 6 representative diatom species from the northern Adriatic Sea grown under 2 environmentally relevant growth conditions (phosphate replete vs. phosphate deprived). After filtering the reads and assembly, an average number of 64,932 transcripts per assembly was obtained, of which an average of 8856 were assigned to functionally known proteins. Of all assigned transcripts, an average of 6483 proteins were taxonomically assigned to diatoms (Bacillariophyta). On average, a higher number of assigned proteins was detected in the transcriptome assemblies of diatoms grown under replete media condition. On average, 50% of the mapped proteins were shared between the two growth conditions. All recorded proteins in the dataset were classified into 24 COG categories, with approximately 25% belonging to the unknown function and the remaining 75% belonging to all other categories. The resulting diatom reference database for the northern Adriatic, focussing on the response to nutrient limitation as characteristic for the region and predicted for the future world oceans, provides a valuable resource for analysing environmental metatranscriptome and metagenome data. Each northern Adriatic transcriptome can also be used by itself as a reference database for the (meta)transcriptomes and gene expression studies of the associated species that will be generated in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine biodiversity monitoring is a complex task given the vast ocean areas to be covered, the types of data to be integrated, and the large number of possible parameters to consider when measuring biodiversity change. International agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) or the recently adopted 'BBNJ treaty'protecting biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), encourage states to monitor marine life both within and beyond their national waters to foster marine biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. While oceanographers in general, and marine biologists in particular, are aware of the challenges and complexities of measuring biodiversity in the ocean, the politics of marine biodiversity monitoring and the added value of social science perspectives tend to be neglected. This story from the frontline describes our experiences with turning marine biodiversity monitoring into an object of social science inquiry. The MARIPOLDATA project developed an innovative multi-sited approach to capture both the politics and practices of monitoring marine life. During our research, we were confronted with a diversity of perspectives and expectations of what monitoring is, how it works, why it should be done, and whom it should serve. By adopting a mixed-method approach and collecting data at different epistemic sites (negotiation rooms, scientific fields, laboratories, and conferences), we tried to cut through some of the observed ambiguities and trends. We conclude that studying monitoring necessitates a multidisciplinary approach and a sensitivity for the regional, institutional, and cultural specificities and inequalities that shape how we know and govern the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meretrix, a popular marine bivalve, features several species with significant ecological and commercial value, distributed in various marine habitats worldwide. Despite their importance, accurate global population estimates of these species are hindered by inadequate classification frameworks that often rely on external shell characteristics, which are susceptible to environmental influences. This limitation underscores the necessity for comprehensive research into the physiological and molecular attributes of these species for accurate identification. This study focused on identifying the local Meretrix species from Tarakan Island by analyzing their COI nucleotide sequences and comparing them with reference sequences in the BOLD and GenBank databases. The results demonstrate that the 14 specimens obtained with diverse morphological variations were found only within two major groups: Meretrix meretrix and Meretrix lusoria. These findings validate the efficacy of DNA barcoding as a tool for classifying marine bivalves, offering a robust framework for identifying unknown species, particularly in the Asian marine ecosystems. The study's approach and findings have broader implications for enhancing global marine biodiversity research and conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the unique geography and complex environment, the Northwest Pacific Ocean has nurtured extremely rich fishery resources, becoming a hotspot for global marine biodiversity conservation and fishery management. In order to more effectively identify and investigate the diversity of fish species, a local DNA barcodes database of common fish in Northwest Pacific Ocean was established. Based on the CO I gene sequences of fish, 307 samples of common fish were collected in Northwest Pacific Ocean from June to August 2023. These common fish belonged to 20 genera, 13 families, 7 orders, and 25 fish species. 77.96% of CO I sequences can be compared to high similarity sequences in public database. The average interspecific genetic distance was 0.233, and the average intraspecific genetic distance was 0.003, and the interspecific genetic distance was 77.67 times that of the intraspecific genetic distance, and it could form obvious bar code gap. The phylogenetic tree based on CO I gene sequences showed that fishes of the same genus first clustered into a single branch, then with fishes of the same family, and finally with fish of different families of the same order. In summary, the CO I gene has species specificity and can effectively distinguish common fish species in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The initial establishment of the DNA barcode database of common fish is conducive to the monitoring and investigation of fish diversity in Northwest Pacific Ocean using environmental DNA technology, providing technical support for biodiversity conservation, resource management, and population dynamic monitoring in Northwest Pacific Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the biodiversity of flora in urban schools in the Philippines. The study found that both schools had a high diversity of plant species, including herbs, trees, climbers, and creepers. The presence of diverse plant species in school grounds can contribute to urban biodiversity conservation and have positive impacts on air quality, water management, and ecosystem services. Additionally, school gardens can yield crops that benefit nearby families and student feeding programs. The article emphasizes the importance of engineering biodiversity in urban schools for sustainability and environmental conservation. [Extracted from the article]

Monitoring the diversity and distribution of species in an ecosystem is essential to assess the success of restoration strategies. Implementing biomonitoring methods, which provide a comprehensive assessment of species diversity and mitigate biases in data collection, holds significant importance in biodiversity research. Additionally, ensuring that these methods are cost-efficient and require minimal effort is crucial for effective environmental monitoring. In this study we compare the efficiency of species detection, the cost and the effort of two non-destructive sampling techniques: Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) and environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to survey marine vertebrate species. Comparisons were conducted along the Sussex coast upon the introduction of the Nearshore Trawling Byelaw. This Byelaw aims to boost the recovery of the dense kelp beds and the associated biodiversity that existed in the 1980s. We show that overall BRUV surveys are more affordable than eDNA, however, eDNA detects almost three times as many species as BRUV. eDNA and BRUV surveys are comparable in terms of effort required for each method, unless eDNA analysis is carried out externally, in which case eDNA requires less effort for the lead researchers. Furthermore, we show that increased eDNA replication yields more informative results on community structure. We found that using both methods in conjunction provides a more complete view of biodiversity, with BRUV data supplementing eDNA monitoring by recording species missed by eDNA and by providing additional environmental and life history metrics. The results from this study will serve as a baseline of the marine vertebrate community in Sussex Bay allowing future biodiversity monitoring research projects to understand community structure as the ecosystem recovers following the removal of trawling fishing pressure. Although this study was regional, the findings presented herein have relevance to marine biodiversity and conservation monitoring programs around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medium‐ to large‐scale marine protected areas (MPAs) are playing an increasingly important role in global marine biodiversity conservation. A key question is "how do we collect relevant data on biodiversity and population trends to inform their design and measure success?"This question is particularly relevant for marine taxa that are difficult to survey, such as sharks and rays, and where populations may occur over vast areas. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has proven to be an effective sampling method and may provide a solution to these challenges; however, it remains unclear how its sampling effectiveness compares with traditionally used methods for elasmobranch surveying.Here, we directly compared the efficacy of eDNA metabarcoding and demersal longline deployments to survey elasmobranchs across 31 sites over a 55,000 km2 area of the Kimberley and Roebuck Australian Marine Parks in Australia's North‐west Marine Parks Network.In total, we documented 49 unique elasmobranch taxa, 36 of which were detected by eDNA and 32 (from a total of 815 captured sharks) by longline. A combined approach yielded over 34% more elasmobranch taxa than either method alone.Site community compositions varied between the two survey methods; notably eDNA was able to detect species from outside of the immediate sampling area, although this was still consistent with a detection radius of a few kilometres, highlighting a particular use in rugose reef habitats where it is difficult to deploy longlines.In investigating the quantitative use of eDNA data, we report that eDNA metabarcoding read abundance (count) data was poorly correlated with longline aggregate catch (count and biomass) data across raw, relative and rank abundance measures. However, we found that in multivariate analyses, both binary (presence–absence) and abundance (after square‐root transformation) datasets produced highly similar ordination patterns, largely segregating method (eDNA vs. longline), followed by latitude and depth.Lastly, we identified required levels of eDNA replication and longline deployments to maximize captured elasmobranch diversity.This study sets an integrated, georeferenced baseline and long‐term monitoring approach for the management and conservation of elasmobranch diversity within this unique marine park network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying fishers and fishing communities' social‐cultural structures is vital in policy‐making concerning local marine ecosystem sustainability. Previous studies on marine communities seldom neglected the role of culture in marine biodiversity conservation, especially a marine protected area (MPA) establishment.This study first explores the cultural practices in coastal communities in Ghana that have the potential for the conservation of the marine ecosystem (MPA); second, it examines the willingness of coastal communities to welcome an MPA establishment.Primary data were collected using focus group discussions with 9 fishermen, key informant interviews with 20 chief fishermen, and self‐administered questionnaires to 491 fishermen across 9 semi‐urban, 2 urban, and 16 villages along the coast of Ghana.Adopting the convergent parallel mixed‐methods research design (quantitative method includes descriptive analysis using tables, charts, diagrams, and χ2 bivariate analysis; and qualitative method involves a narrative format), the study underscored that the socioeconomic characteristics of fishermen are diverse and mixed. Most of the fishermen do not know what an MPA is but are willing to accept an MPA initiative. Certain cultural practices such as the prohibition of gathering certain species, traditional close season, and fishing holidays are found to be conducive to an MPA initiative.These cultural practices should be integrated into an MPA policy. Fisheries practitioners should consider an ecosystem‐based approach (including cultural values) to fisheries management and fishermen should endeavour to learn new skills outside the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are the most widely applied tool for marine biodiversity conservation, yet many gaps remain in our understanding of their species‐specific effects, partly because the socio‐environmental context and spatial autocorrelation may blur and bias perceived conservation outcomes. Based on a large data set of nearly 3000 marine fish surveys spanning all tropical regions of the world, we build spatially explicit models for 658 fish species to estimate species‐specific responses to protection while controlling for the environmental, habitat and socio‐economic contexts experienced across their geographic ranges. We show that the species responses are highly variable, with ~40% of fishes not benefitting from protection. When investigating how traits influence species' responses, we find that rare top‐predators and small herbivores benefit the most from MPAs while mid‐trophic level species benefit to a lesser extent, and rare large herbivores experience adverse effects, indicating potential trophic cascades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the habitat shifting pattern is a prerequisite for implementing in situ conservation of migratory species. Spotted seals (Phoca largha) inhabiting the Yellow Sea ecoregion (YSE) comprise a small population with independent genes and represent a charismatic flagship species in this region. However, this population has declined by 80% since the 1940s, and increased support from the countries around the YSE is urgently needed to address the potential local extinction risk. A time‐series niche model and life‐history weighted systematic conservation planning were designed on the basis of a satellite beacon tracking survey (2010–2020) of the YSE population. The results showed clustering and spreading shifting patterns during the breeding and migratory seasons, respectively. The closed‐loop migration route formed in the YSE indicated that this population might be geographically isolated from populations in other breeding areas around the world. The conservation priority area (CPA), with an area of 19 632 km2 (3.58% of the total YSE area), was the most effective response to the potential in situ risk. However, nearly 80% of the CPA was exposed outside the existing marine protected areas (MPAs). Future establishment of MPAs in China should strategically consider the conservation gap identified herein, and it is recommended for Korea's closed fishing season to be spatially set in the western Korean Peninsula from May to August. This study also exemplified that the lack of temporal information would lead to the dislocation of niche modeling for migratory species represented by spotted seals. Attention should be paid to protecting small and migratory populations in marine biodiversity conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The article describes and analyzes the emergence of the field of global marine biodiversity conservation over the past fifteen years. We draw on collaborative research at international meetings, which we position as 'field' sites, places where diverse actors come together to negotiate the meaning and terms of global environmental governance and where that work is accessible and visible to researchers. Methods: Based on Collaborative Event Ethnography (CEE), a method developed to facilitate study of large meetings, we mobilize research from seven meetings since 2008 to describe the field of global marine biodiversity conservation, but more importantly to specifying how that field has been configured. Results: We identify practices of orchestration, narrative, performance, alliance, social objects, devices, and technologies, formal outcomes, and formal procedures, and their use at three phases of field configuration: building, framing, and bounding. Discussion: The results: 1) enhance our understanding of the role of international conferences in global environmental governance generally, and for marine biodiversity conservation specifically; 2) demonstrate the relevance of field and field configuration theory; 3) contribute to theory on institutional fields by specifying practices of field configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BBNJ Agreement will affect legal frameworks for the conservation of marine biological diversity in various regions of the world ocean and the marine Arctic is no exception. As biological diversity in the marine Arctic is particularly vulnerable, the implications of the BBNJ Agreement for the conservation of biological diversity in the marine Arctic deserves serious consideration. Of particular note is the procedure for an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Given that damage to the environment may be irreversible, it is a prerequisite to conduct an EIA before authorizing planned activities, with a view to preventing environmental harm. An EIA constitutes a crucial element in the conservation of the marine environment, including biological diversity. Hence, this article examines the potential implications of the procedure for an EIA as set out under the BBNJ Agreement for the conservation of biological diversity in the marine Arctic beyond national jurisdiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent adoption of a new agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction has been welcomed as a historic achievement that will herald a new era of marine conservation and global ocean governance. This article aims to raise and discuss some questions, as the dust settles, and to analyze selected aspects of the text of the new Agreement, with particular respect to Part III of the BBNJ agreement, dedicated to area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), which are arguably crucial for the operationalization of the Agreement but remain ambiguous or underarticulated, and may thus reduce its effectiveness and ambition. These questions concern the relationship with other relevant instruments, frameworks, and bodies (IFBs); relatedly, the issue of recognition of area-based measures adopted under other IFBs; and the so-called opt-out question, that is, the right to make objections to an ABMT and/or MPA adopted under the BBNJ agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urgent need for the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean has come into focus as an international concern over the last decade, prompting negotiations for a new legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction: the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement. After almost 15 years of debate, the BBNJ Agreement was concluded in March 2023.This paper is an opinion piece that showcases our perspectives as two early career ocean professionals from developing countries (Brazil and Cabo Verde) who participated as observers in the Fifth Intergovernmental Conference for the development of the BBNJ Agreement, held in 2022 and 2023. We identified factors that affected the equitable participation of professionals from developing countries in the BBNJ Agreement process. We offer our reflections on the underrepresentation of some countries in negotiations, as well as in science, and the factors hindering capacity to express their own needs and concerns.We present three suggestions for creating more equitable participation of countries in such negotiations and enabling the future implementation of the BBNJ Agreement by developing countries: (1) Increase professional opportunities and develop capacity of early researchers from developing countries; (2) fair participation in implementation of BBNJ Agreement; and (3) enabling capacity in developing countries to be sustained in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental heterogeneity and dispersal limitation structure community assembly, but there is limited knowledge on how their effects vary on temporal scale. This study compiled a series of data, including phytoplankton, seawater depth and chemistry from 104 sites, to explore the spatial patterns and their drivers of phytoplankton communities in the Beibu Gulf and adjacent waters, located in the northwestern South China Sea. Our results showed that (1) the beta diversity values ranged from 0.2 to 0.84 (0.5 average), and turnover dominated. (2) The relative contributions of environmental heterogeneity and dispersal limitation to beta diversity varied seasonally, wherein former dominated in summer and winter, latter dominated in spring and autumn. (3) Hydrologic distance, pH, alkalinity, and total nitrogen were the crucial factors shaping the beta diversity pattern. This study detailed the temporal variation of the relative roles of environmental heterogeneity and dispersal limitation in shaping the patterns of phytoplankton communities, which may reflect the dynamical nature of ocean, characterized by seasonal variation in wind and hydrology. It also clarified the intrinsic linkage between these two processes in the ocean, which provides a novel insight to understanding the ocean biogeography and informs decision making for area‐based marine biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Illegal fishing, including that of sharks for meat and fins, is one of the larger threats to marine biodiversity conservation. Getting data on these illegal activities is challenging as there are few reliable official records. I use data from the media, tourists, and artisan fishermen to gain insight into the trade in the world's largest fish, the whale shark, in Indonesia. Whale sharks are typically caught in fishing nets, dragged alongside boats to the shallows, where they are butchered. The meat and oil are sold. In a popular tourist area, Pangandaran, whale sharks are landed and butchered on the beach in view of hundreds of people and local media; I report on 30 landings (2002–2022). Along the south coast of Java, part of which includes Pangandaran, I document 38 landings (2019–2022). Artisanal fishermen see the landings of whale sharks as fortuitous events, and the monetary gains are frequently shared with the community. However, artisanal fisheries pose a significant threat to whale sharks, and the legal protection that whale sharks receive in Indonesia is not sufficiently enforced. Furthermore, Indonesia is a signatory to various international agreements that preclude the fishing and trade in whale sharks, and greater adherence to these rules and regulations is needed. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, including that of sharks, poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems and individual species. I use data from the media, tourists, and artisan fishermen to gain insight into the trade in the world's largest fish, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). I focus on the Indonesian island of Java where, along its south coast, whale sharks are landed and butchered on the beach in view of hundreds of people and local media. Whale sharks are typically caught in fishing nets and dragged alongside boats to the shallows, where they are butchered. The meat and oil (valued at ~USD 2000 per shark) are sold and distributed within the community. I document 58 landings of mainly immature whale sharks (2002–2022). Artisanal fishermen see the landing of whale sharks as a fortuitous event, but the species is protected, and Indonesia is a signatory to various international agreements that preclude the fishing of whale sharks. It is imperative for the conservation of whale sharks that the various parties in Indonesia adhere better to their own rules and regulations protecting this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overfishing has been one of the greatest risks to marine biodiversity in the world in recent years. Thus, the production of many catches is in a yearly decline, including Acetes chinensis. At the same time, an Acetes chinensis quota has been introduced to promise the marine conservation of biodiversity in China in 2020. Accurate and rapid quantification of fishing vessel fishing information can be one of the most important prerequisites to implementing the fine management of quota fishing. This study aims to perform the target identification and statistics quantification of Acetes chinensis quota fishing. An electronic monitoring (EM) device was installed on Acetes chinensis quota fishing vessels to monitor the main operation process of fishing vessels. An improved target detection algorithm (YOLOv7-MO) and target counting algorithm (YOLOv7- MO-SORT) using YOLOv7 were proposed to realize the target detection and statistics of Acetes chinensis quota fishing vessels. The YOLOv7-MO target detection algorithm used the MobileOne as the backbone network. The C3 modules were added to the head part of the output during the pruning operation. The YOLOv7-MO-SORT target counting algorithm was selected to replace the Faster R-CNN from the SORT (Simple Online and Realtime Tracking) algorithm replaced by YOLOv7- MO for the detection of anchors thrown during fishing operations and baskets containing Acetes chinensis. Kalman filtering and Hungarian matching algorithms were used to track and predict the detected targets, according to the characteristics of actual production operations. The collision detection lines, timestamps, thresholds, and counters were set to count the number of baskets of Acetes chinensis caught and nets during the fishing operation. The results show: (1) The improved YOLOv7-MO was achieved in average detection accuracy, recall, and F1 score of 97.3%, 96.0%, and 96.6%, respectively, on the test set, which were improved by 2.0, 1.1 and 1.5 percentage points, compared with the original model. (2) The improved YOLOv7- MO model size, the number of parameters, and the number of floating-point operations were 64.0 MB, 32.6 M, and 39.7 G, respectively, which were 10.2%, 10.6%, and 61.6% smaller than those of the YOLOv7 model. (3) The accuracy of the SORT algorithm Acetes chinensis fishing operation count with YOLOv7-MO as the detector reached 80.0% and 95.8% in counting the number of Acetes chinensis baskets and the number of nets, respectively. YOLOv7-MO reduced the model magnitude while improving the detection accuracy and efficiency. The SORT algorithm with the YOLOv7-MO as the detection head was also achieved in more accurate statistical quantification of the main operational information of fishing vessels. This function can be expected to facilitate the management and recording of fishing vessel operations, in order to avoid some drawbacks of the traditional manual recording of fishing vessel operations. The gross shrimp basket count statistics can provide better convenience to calculate the fishing parameters, such as the gross shrimp CPUE. The identification can be realized to count the fishing vessel operation of hairy shrimp fishing. The finding can also provide a strong reference to realize the automation and intelligence of recording fishing operations in offshore vessels, particularly for the decision-making on the hairy shrimp quota fishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Climate change is affecting rocky reef ecosystems in a multitude of ways at global scale. During summer 2018, the rocky reef communities of Portofino Marine Protected Area (MPA) (NW Mediterranean) were affected by thermal anomalies, a mucilaginous event, and the seasonal expansion of Caulerpa cylindracea. Moreover, a severe storm occurred on 29 October. The effects of these pressures on the rocky reef communities were analysed at different depths (10 m, 20 m, 30 m, and 40 m) and at three times (June, October, December) to evaluate change at short temporal scale. Portofino MPA's communities have significantly changed: thermal anomalies mostly affected the biota living above the summer thermocline (ca 20 m depth); mucilaginoius aggregates first impacted the communities in shallow waters and only later those in deep waters, where they typically fall in late summer; the greatest impact by Caulerpa cylindracea was detected at 20 m depth; the storm directly impacted communities in shallow and intermediate waters by uprooting algal species, while it had indirect effects at greater depths through sediment redistribution. Disentangling the effects of multiple pressures on coastal ecosystems is one of the most pressing goals in marine ecology and biodiversity conservation. This study represents an attempt in this direction as applied to the short-term dynamics of rocky reef communities under a climate change scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocean, which plays an essential role in supporting human life, continues to deteriorate due to anthropogenic underwater noise. This unseen form of pollution is a significant emergent threat to marine and coastal biodiversity. Substantial discussions have occurred on the problem under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) yet further action is needed. The adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in 2022 provides a potential partial solution to address the problem. This article reviews the current development of the GBF concerning the protection of the marine environment, particularly from the threat of anthropogenic underwater noise. It is argued that the GBF, along with its monitoring framework, could provide an opportunity to strengthen further action for the conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity against this problem. The importance of capacity-building to ensure that developing countries have the capacity to address anthropogenic underwater noise is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural capital (NC) accounts measure and value the benefits that ecosystems provide to humans. Marine biodiversity supports human well-being directly by providing a source of food (e.g. wild fish), and indirectly by providing employment (e.g. fisheries, and tourism) and recreation (e.g. diving). The inclusion of the marine environment in NC accounting is relatively new. Central to the NC framework, biodiversity is one of the most challenging aspects to account for. Here, we consider the potential for marine biodiversity to be included in NC accounts, and explain why this is in line with current policy directions towards achieving sustainability and well-being. We present a set of potential indicators that could be used to assess ecosystem extent and ecosystem condition through their biodiversity, and inform policies aimed to improve sustainability and human well-being. We conclude that including biological indicators in NC accounts will help to consider marine biodiversity conservation and economic activities in blue spaces as complementary components of well-being. NC accounts can facilitate decision-making by showing, in few interconnected tables, trends in the provision of biodiversity in a specific area and for specific ecosystems. This makes potential trade-offs between ecosystems, ecosystem services, and economic activities more apparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of high-seas fisheries is the main threat to biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The BBNJ Agreement, which focuses on biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, is under vigorous discussion. Subject to the "not undermine" requirement and considerations of practical interests, it is highly possible that the BBNJ Agreement may not address the issue of fisheries on the high seas. The objective of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the high-seas fisheries issue and the BBNJ Agreement for the purposes of the conservation of marine biodiversity, the unity of the marine ecosystem, and the consistency of regulations. It maintains that from the perspective of protecting the oceans, enacting legislation in areas beyond national jurisdiction, and transforming marine management mode, the issue of high-seas fisheries should be included in the BBNJ Agreement. In the future, the BBNJ agreement needs to clarify its scope of application, resolve overlapping issues through general regulations and conflict rules, clarify the methods and contents of international cooperation, and establish international law obligations for integrated ocean management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraordinarily high species richness makes global biodiversity hotspots the top priorities for conservation planning and management, and natural laboratories for biological studies. Given the current era of rapid biodiversity loss, there is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms driving the biodiversity dynamics in biodiversity hotspots because these results could guide make conservation actions to protect species under threat from rapid environmental changes and extensive human impacts. Without considering the effects of climate change, the potential distribution area for each species increases on average by 72.5% (SD = 8%) in the scenario of potential regeneration, while climate change decreases the area of the potential occurrence of 252 species, which may suffer a mean reduction of 74.4% (SD = 9.3%) in their current potential distribution areas. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, we use a mixed methods approach to analyze the conversational content and interactions constituting five family groups' visits to the Marine Aquarium of Rio de Janeiro (AquaRio), the largest marine aquarium in South America, to understand how families interact with science and construct meaning regarding science and conservation. The audiovisual records of the family groups were analyzed using categories that investigate the types of interactions and conversations that may take place in scientific‐cultural venues. The results suggest that, throughout the visits, family members were driven by their observation and contemplation of the animals on exhibit to interact with each other to share information about marine biodiversity and its conservation. The adults, children, and explainers all had fundamental roles in the construction of dialogues on scientific topics. The adults adopted behaviors that facilitated learning, made associations with previous experiences, read panels, and contextualized the information to their family's reality. The children were notable for their protagonism, asking questions, giving explanations, and sharing their previous knowledge, experiences and opinions about the animals and the conservation of marine biodiversity based on scientific reasoning. Therefore, this study provides evidence of the important role that AquaRio could play in providing opportunities for families to have conversations about biodiversity and conservation while raising awareness about the impacts of human activities on the oceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For threatened marine megafauna, such as the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), sound conservation planning should aim to ensure demographic and ecological persistence of populations. One method to address this challenge is through ecosystem‐based conservation planning (ECP) based on threatened marine megafauna distribution, biodiversity richness, and ecosystem functionality.ECP exercises for the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin in Chinese and adjacent northern Vietnamese waters were conducted based on the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin distribution, Hill‐2 biodiversity index, and marine net primary productivity. Habitat protection priorities were scored using the program MARXAN and were used to identify special areas for conservation (SACs) for the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin.To ensure the minimal risk of local extinction, the SACs enclosed a total of 26,858 km2 of waters, accounting for 49.9% of core habitats of the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin and 24.3% of the IUCN Red List species in the study region. To enclose 30% of biodiversity richness and ecosystem functionality, a total of 40,179 km2 SACs was required.In the context of threatened marine megafauna conservation, megafauna distribution can be used to highlight focal areas, while information on biodiversity richness and ecosystem functionality should be factored in. Using surrogates with different ecological niches would be a better tactic to ensure sufficient protection coverage by minimizing the omission bias.The conservation of threatened marine megafauna in coastal and estuarine waters shares similar objectives with global marine biodiversity conservation. The challenges to conduct ECP exercises come from data scarcity and poor data quality in representing distributions of biodiversity features. A certified open‐access database that shares survey effort, occurrence, population density, and habitat mapping at national and local scales is recommended. Such a result requires national planning, investment, and policing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the start of the 21st century, a coastal residential-estate marina was developed on a previously degraded and polluted brownfield island site within Knysna estuarine bay, Garden Route National Park, South Africa, including the creation of 25 ha of new flow-through tidal canals. Canals near the larger entrance to this system now support permanently submerged beds of seagrass, which in turn support abundant macrobenthic invertebrates. In comparison with equivalent seagrass-associated assemblages present in natural channels around the island, those in the artificial marina canals were similarly structured and dominated by the same species, but the marina assemblages were significantly more species-rich (1.4 x on average) and were more abundant. Indeed, this area of marina supports the richest seagrass-associated macrofaunal biodiversity yet recorded from South Africa. The canals created de novo therefore now form a valuable addition to the bay's marine habitat, in marked contrast to the generality that marinas developed on greenfield sites represent a net reduction in intertidal and shallow marine area and associated seagrass-associated benthos. If located and constructed appropriately, brownfield marina development and conservation of coastal marine biodiversity clearly need not be antithetical, and brownfield sites may provide opportunity for the location and management of 'artificial marine micro-reserves' or for the action of 'other effective area-based conservation measures' for soft-sediment faunas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency of codes underpinning governance themes Footnotes 1 B Article impact statement b : Understanding perceived governance constraints can inform improved governance for effective conservation. Using an interactive governance approach to map respondents' narratives of governance challenges against the different orders of governance, our findings highlighted an overall pattern weighted toward first- and second-order governance and the (predominantly social) context of the system to be governed. Keywords: Caribbean; environmental governance; governability; interactive governance; perceptions; Caribe; gobernanza ambiental; gobernanza interactiva; gobernabilidad; percepciones; ; ; ; EN Caribbean environmental governance governability interactive governance perceptions Caribe gobernanza ambiental gobernanza interactiva gobernabilidad percepciones 1 14 14 10/04/22 20221001 NES 221001 INTRODUCTION The plight of coral reefs globally is a long-standing concern in environmental science and conservation research. [Extracted from the article]

Simple Summary: Plastic pollution presents a growing concern for marine biodiversity, and among these, anthropogenic particles (APs) are entering marine ecosystems at an alarming rate from land and sea sources. In this study, we quantify the ingestion of APs across fish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers (echinoderms), bivalves (molluscs), and jellyfish (cnidarians), identify biotic and abiotic factors that might influence the ingested items; and identify ingestion patterns based on taxonomic groups, trophic guilds, and habitats. Ingestion of APs was observed in the majority of the species analyses with occurrence ranging from 0% to 100%. The study results indicate that plastic pollution poses a threat to species found within the marine protected area of the Cabrera Marine-Terrestrial National Park despite their protection status. The multispecies approach provided a better understanding of the high level of AP exposure to species, highlighting the associated damage to marine biodiversity related to marine waste. We have applied a multispecies ecosystem approach to analyse the ingestion of anthropogenic particles (AP) in the gastrointestinal tract of 313 individuals (17 fish species and 8 invertebrate species) from pelagic, demersal and benthic habitats in a marine protected area off the Western Mediterranean (Cabrera National Park). We have quantified and characterized the ingestion at several taxonomic levels of fish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, bivalves, and jellyfish in relation to biotic/abiotic factors based on taxonomic groups, trophic guilds (functional groups) and habitats. AP ingestion occurrence ranged from 26 to 100% with no significant differences among taxonomic groups. The fish within the MPA showed an overall ingestion occurrence ranging from 0 to 100%, the echinoderms from 29 to 100%, the bivalves from 72 to 96% and the jellyfish 36% ingestion. The ecosystem approach applied to evaluate overall AP ingestion within the species reported that for trophic guilds, the omnivorous species ingested the highest amounts of anthropogenic items, while herbivores ingested significantly fewer items than all other trophic guilds. Moreover, no significant differences were found amongst habitats, indicating a homogeneous spatial distribution of APs at all studied habitats. The multispecies approach provided insight into the high APs exposure to species within Cabrera MPA, highlighting the potential harm linked with marine litter that threatens marine biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine heatwaves are discrete and prolonged periods of anomalously warm seawater temperature which have devastating ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Being part of the center of marine biodiversity and a fisheries-dependent country, the Philippines is vulnerable to the threats of marine heatwaves, but these extreme events remain understudied in the country. It is, therefore, crucial to investigate the development of marine heatwaves and to assess and predict the impacts of these events in the Philippine seas. In this perspective paper, we aim to put forward the research direction for advancing our understanding of marine heatwaves and their impacts in the Philippines. The limited studies on marine heatwaves in the Philippines highlight the need for progress in understanding the spatiotemporal patterns, physical processes, and impacts of marine heatwaves in the country. Advancing our knowledge of marine heatwaves will help us formulate mitigating strategies for ocean warming in fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has been used as a conservation measure to preserve marine biodiversity. Due to technological limitations, many early designated MPAs often neglected the distribution of marine habitats. Marine remote-sensing techniques development represents an opportunity to reshape and rethink MPA designs. This study focuses on the Vila Franca do Campo MPA (established in 1983) on São Miguel Island, Azores, using advanced acoustic remote-sensing techniques (MBES, SSS). Mapping of approximately 394 ha revealed a 1–3 ratio between rock and sediment habitats within the MPA, while the adjacent unprotected area showed a ratio of less than 1–2, with significant black coral gardens observed below 40 m depth. According to these results and the ecological importance of the organisms detected, we recommend remodeling the MPA. Furthermore, identifying readily accessible black coral communities provides an opportunity for comprehensive assessments of their contribution to marine biodiversity and conservation resources. • Remote sensing tools such as MBES, SSS allow the creation of accurate habitat maps. • Shallower black coral gardens were identified beyond the MPA boundaries. • Habitats discovered are of global conservation concern and suggest MPA restructuring. • Several MPAs have deficient ecological assessments due to lack of ecosystem approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective governance of the global ocean under accelerating environmental and social changes depends on sufficient scientific knowledge that unravels the complexity of dynamic marine ecosystems. In the case of the vast and remote ocean twilight zone (OTZ), management is particularly challenged by the lack of data. Traditional biodiversity monitoring methods are unable to scale efficiently or effectively to address these knowledge gaps and new technologies are needed to inform policy. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has quickly gained traction in recent years as an enabling technology for marine conservation that will play a transformative role in OTZ biodiversity conservation and high seas governance in general. Through a comprehensive review of science and policy literature and an analysis of existing global marine biodiversity data, we discuss the importance of biodiversity conservation in the OTZ, review existing knowledge gaps, and summarize recent developments in eDNA and OTZ biodiversity research. We identify the key components of an eDNA framework that are needed for OTZ biodiversity monitoring and discuss policy implications relevant to the recent Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement. We show that an integrated science-policy approach based on transdisciplinary eDNA research is essential for achieving sustainability in the OTZ and the 30×30 target for conserving ocean biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On March 3rd, a global agreement was approved to protect genetic resources and biological diversity in the high seas. Spain, as the second country in the EU in terms of marine waters, hosts the greatest marine biodiversity in Europe and plans to expand the network of protected marine areas in the coming years. The agreement is an internationally legally binding instrument and seeks to regulate the exploitation of marine resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The European Union has led the coalition to achieve this agreement and is committed to providing funds for its implementation. [Extracted from the article]

Countries are currently negotiating a comprehensive global binding treaty at the United Nations to better protect biodiversity in the high seas (referred to from here as "the Treaty"). Developing a governance framework for the sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources (MGRs) of the high seas (or areas beyond national jurisdiction, referred to from here as "ABNJ") is a crucial element of the proposed treaty. Negotiating countries' positions on MGRs vary widely, ranging from no regulation to the establishment of a new global regulatory mechanism. For the scientists who may be involved with collecting MGRs in ABNJ, the Treaty could impact their research activities, including mandatory precollection notification. There could also be new requirements for daily research activities associated with utilizing physical materials collected in ABNJ or data generated from such materials. For indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) that may hold relevant traditional knowledge, the Treaty could ensure their rights to prior, free, and informed consent and the use of mutually agreed terms. The scientific community and IPLC have an opportunity to engage with key stakeholders to increase the chances that any new requirements will be practical, remain relevant in decades to come, and provide a platform that will foster research, collaboration, and marine biological diversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extensive regime for marine biodiversity in 'areas beyond national jurisdiction' is currently discussed under the United Nations. A key aspect of its institutional design concerns the integrative quality of the treaty that is to be developed on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction – called the 'BBNJ Agreement'. There is a large number of global and regional policy instruments regulating activities in the areas beyond national jurisdiction. Yet, issues of integrating and coordinating these instruments prevail, raising the question how a new treaty could provide for environmental policy integration in ocean governance. This paper draws on environmental policy integration literature of the past three decades to explore, ex ante, to what extent the planned ocean treaty can contribute to more institutional harmonization. It examines how the treaty addresses four key policy‐making dimensions of environmental policy integration, and new opportunities and challenges that have emerged, based on the attributes of the treaty provisions and its institutional architecture. This paper concludes that the BBNJ Agreement offers an alternative policy framework which has the potential to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity by triggering more international cooperation and collaboration and filling gaps in ocean governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few States are able to undertake scientific research in the half of the planet that lies in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction. Capacity building is therefore a key part of the development of a new international legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (BBNJ Agreement).The final negotiations for the BBNJ Agreement are scheduled for early 2022, after almost two decades of development. There is an urgent need to address remaining questions relating to capacity building to secure an effective and equitable outcome from this process and safeguard the global ocean commons.Persisting gaps in scientific capacity cast doubt on the adequacy of past and current approaches to implement long‐standing international commitments. There is a need to build equitable partnerships for long‐term outcomes.As an international legally binding instrument, the BBNJ Agreement is a critical opportunity to change the course of capacity building by strengthening the international legal framework, including funding, information‐sharing, monitoring and decision‐making.This rapidly closing window to develop international legal obligations, collaboration frameworks and funding mechanisms is relevant not only to the conservation of the global ocean commons, but also for ocean sustainability more generally as the UN Ocean Decade begins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cetacean species are highly mobile, most of them regularly travelling over long distances, thereby presenting complex obstacles to their conservation. Identification of their critical habitats, specifically those parts of a cetacean's range that are essential for day‐to‐day survival and for maintaining a healthy population growth rate, is necessary for their effective protection.This study presents a summary of the data on cetacean sightings during surveys that covered substantial parts of the Russian Far East coastal waters from the Okhotsk Sea to Chukotka in order to determine important areas for particular cetacean species. Sixteen cetacean species were registered during the surveys, and for 12 of them with sufficient numbers of sightings, zones with maximum sighting rates were identified.Only 13% of all cetacean sightings and 22% of sightings of protected species occurred within marine protected areas (MPAs). The highest sighting rates for protected species were concentrated off north‐eastern Sakhalin Island, in the Shantar Area, in Anadyr Gulf, in Kresta Bay and in the waters off eastern Chukotka. The analysis of the distribution patterns of various cetacean species in Russian Far East seas provides a solid base for future conservation planning. Lack of specific MPAs for protection of cetaceans and associated biodiversity hinders marine conservation in Russian Far East seas.The study highlights the specific zones important for various cetacean species and suggests the extension of some existing MPAs and the creation of new MPAs for future spatial habitat protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception in 1982, the Marine Environmental Protection Law (MEPL) has undergone several revisions in 1999, 2013, 2016, and 2017, capping in the inclusive overhaul of 2023. These successive revisions have gradually shaped a robust legal system encompassing the Constitution as the foundational basis, the MEPL as the core regulatory instrument, and several corresponding laws safeguarding specific marine elements as the driving force. The newly revised MEPL 2023, compared to its previous iterations, introduces significant improvements that are largely reflected in strengthening the protection of marine biodiversity conservation, advancing the prevention and control of ship-source marine pollution, optimising the supervision of the marine environment, enhancing the prevention and control of land-based marine pollution, and imposing stricter liabilities. This paper examines how the new MEPL 2023 improves China's marine environmental protection, and incorporates international best practices within the legal framework. Additionally, the research explores potential areas for further development that provide some implications for policymakers and should have been considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a compilation of articles from periodical publications in the field of environmental law. The topics covered include farmland management in eastern Spain, water rights accumulation in Mexico, the legal regime of administrative silence in urban planning licenses, animal issues and the challenges of animal welfare, protection of marine biodiversity, maritime transport of CO2, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation in Chile, sea level rise and vulnerability of coastal territories, deforestation, sustainable development, natural disasters, sustainable economy, and construction regulations for energy efficiency in community properties. The newspaper La Ley (Doctrinal Studies) presents a compilation of articles on various topics related to energy efficiency, atmospheric pollutant emissions, energy, electricity, nuclear energy, environmental impact assessment, fauna, environmental taxation, hydrocarbons, the marine environment, and rural areas. The articles address topics such as improving energy efficiency in community properties, climate change mitigation, Chinese energy investments, energy policy in Mexico, rural depopulation, liability for nuclear damage, and protection of marine biodiversity. The document provides a list of articles and academic journals related to various legal and environmental topics. Some of the topics include rural depopulation in Spain, water rights accumulation in the energy-mining sector in Mexico, protection of forests in the European Union, corporate social responsibility, public health, and maritime transport of CO2. The provided links allow access to the full articles for more information on each topic. [Extracted from the article]

Understanding climate change impacts on top predators is fundamental to marine biodiversity conservation, due to their increasingly threatened populations and their importance in marine ecosystems. We conducted a systematic review of the effects of climate change (prolonged, directional change) and climate variability on seabirds and marine mammals. We extracted data from 484 studies (4808 published studies were reviewed), comprising 2215 observations on demography, phenology, distribution, diet, behaviour, body condition and physiology. The likelihood of concluding that climate change had an impact increased with study duration. However, the temporal thresholds for the effects of climate change to be discernibly varied from 10 to 29 years depending on the species, the biological response and the oceanic study region. Species with narrow thermal ranges and relatively long generation times were more often reported to be affected by climate change. This provides an important framework for future assessments, with guidance on response‐ and region‐specific temporal dimensions that need to be considered when reporting effects of climate change. Finally, we found that tropical regions and non‐breeding life stages were poorly covered in the literature, a concern that should be addressed to enable a better understanding of the vulnerability of marine predators to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The repeated inclusion of the ocean and biodiversity reflected a common understanding that they are both essential factors and solutions to dealing with climate change, although there are opportunities for further research into the role of marine biodiversity in addressing climate change. It became clear after the advancements of Because the Ocean and the inaugural UN Ocean Conference held in 2017 that more work would be needed to move from prominently featuring the ocean-climate nexus at side events to a call for voluntary action toward the goal of an institutionalized ocean-climate dialogue within the annual climate negotiations. The Ocean-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus The scientific syntheses of causes, impacts, and solutions incorporate the ocean-climate change-biodiversity nexus. This year's COP26 held in Glasgow, Scotland, had breakthrough moments such as the signing of the Declaration on Forests and Land Use by 141 countries (UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021, [19]), the joint US-China Declaration on Enhancing Climate Action (Plumer & Friedman, [13]), and the completion of the Paris Rulebook. [Extracted from the article]

Increasing rates of Anthropocene biodiversity extinctions suggest a possible sixth mass extinction event. Conservation planners are seeking effective ways to protect species, hotspots of biodiversity, and dynamic ecosystems to reduce and eventually eliminate the degradation and loss of diversity at the scale of genes, species, and ecosystems. While well-established, adequately enforced protected areas (PAs) increase the likelihood of preserving species and habitats, traditional placement methods are frequently inadequate in protecting biodiversity most at risk. Consequently, the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) Partnership developed a set of science-based criteria and thresholds that iteratively identify sites where biodiversity is most in need of protection. KBA methodology has been rarely applied in the marine realm, where data are often extremely limited. We tested the feasibility of KBA population metrics in the Greater Caribbean marine region using occurrence and population data and threat statuses for 1669 marine vertebrates. These data identified areas where site-specific conservation measures can effectively protect biodiversity. Using KBA criteria pertaining to threatened and irreplaceable biodiversity, we identified 90 geographically unique potential KBAs, 34 outside and 56 within existing PAs. These provide starting points for local conservation managers to verify that KBA thresholds are met and to delineate site boundaries. Significant data gaps, such as population sizes, life history characteristics, and extent of habitats, prevent the full application of the KBA criteria to data-poor marine species. Increasing the rate and scope of marine sampling programs and digital availability of occurrence datasets will improve identification and delineation of KBAs in the marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]