OBIS as a potential contribution to a new implementing agreement to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Presentation from the BBNJ side event at the IOC Assembly XXVIII, June 2015

1. Ocean Biogeographic Information System
A global biodiversity data-sharing platform
Photo credits Sonke Johnsen and Charles Messing
IOC side event BBNJ 23 June 2015, Paris
Ward Appeltans

2. 43,000,000species observations
7,500,000 in ABNJ
116,000marine species
77,900 (14,500 exclusively)
1,801databases in 1central global database
500data providers, 56countries
1,000papers have cited OBIS
(11)
(4)

3. Census of Marine Life
2000 - 2010
OBIS was established as the data repository
and information dissemination system for
CoML

4. Overall goals
OBIS has a mandate under the United Nations
(UNESCO-IOC), to contribute to the protection of
marine ecosystems by assisting in identifying marine
biodiversity hotspots and large-scale ecological
patterns, in all ocean basins.
Setting a baseline for marine biodiversity assessment
and monitoring
Build and maintain a global alliance that collaborates
with scientific communities to facilitate free and open
access to, and application of, biodiversity and
biogeographic data and information on marine life.

5. Growth of data in OBIS
COML
IOC

6. Nr records within EEZ
Nr of records in ABNJ
Majortaxonomicgroups

7. Sampling effort per depth volume
Appeltans W., Dujardin F., Flavell M., Miloslavich P., Webb T. (2015). Biodiversity Baselines in the Global Ocean. In: Fischer A. et al (Eds). Open
Ocean Technical Assessment Report for the GEF Transboundary Water Assessment Programme (TWAP). UNEP, IOC-UNESCO. In press.
±99% of ocean volume is
still undersampled
(<100 sampling days, <713
records, <13 species per
10,000 km3)

8. Nr of records through time (latitude)
Global monitoring
since 1950
Progressively
increased in the
Southern
Hemisphere
Appeltans W., Dujardin F., Flavell M., Miloslavich P., Webb T. (2015). Biodiversity Baselines in the Global Ocean. In: Fischer A. et al (Eds). Open
Ocean Technical Assessment Report for the GEF Transboundary Water Assessment Programme (TWAP). UNEP, IOC-UNESCO. In press.

9. Nr of records through time (distance
from nearest land)
Appeltans W., Dujardin F., Flavell M., Miloslavich P., Webb T. (2015). Biodiversity Baselines in the Global Ocean. In: Fischer A. et al (Eds). Open
Ocean Technical Assessment Report for the GEF Transboundary Water Assessment Programme (TWAP). UNEP, IOC-UNESCO. In press.

10. Nr of records
through time
(sampling depth)
Appeltans W., Dujardin F., Flavell M., Miloslavich P., Webb T.
(2015). Biodiversity Baselines in the Global Ocean. In: Fischer A.
et al (Eds). Open Ocean Technical Assessment Report for the
GEF Transboundary Water Assessment Programme (TWAP).
UNEP, IOC-UNESCO. In press.

11. DIPS-4-Ocean Assessments
DIPS-4-Ocean
Assessments
444K US$
2015-2016
Global
HAB
Status Report
Global Ocean
Biodiversity
Indicators
UN World
Ocean
Assessment
CBD

12. Global Ocean Biodiversity Indicators
Where are the biodiversity hotspots?
Where are the knowledge gaps?
Where are the most threatened species?
Can we detect marine species extinctions?

13. Polar species are disappearing and warmer water
species are moving towards the Poles
Kaschner K, Tittensor DP, Ready J, Gerrodette T, et al. (2011) Current and Future Patterns of
Global Marine Mammal Biodiversity. PLoS ONE 6(5): e19653. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019653
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0019653
Projected effects of climate change on marine mammal species richness.

14. Wisz et al. Nature Climate Change 5, 261–265
(2015)
Arctic warming will promote Atlantic–Pacific fish interchange

15. Pterapods
‘Ocean butterflies’ have a key ecological role in polar ocean habitats
Viable habitat gets squeezed
Complement to work on coral risk
Illustrative of knowledge gap

16. Fin whale:
abundance /
density season
These models are used to
estimate official “takes” for
marine mammal protection act
and endangered species act
regulations in the USA
OBIS-SEAMAP

17. From Dunn et al. 2011

18. OBIS contributions to the CBD EBSA process
Biological Diversity all taxa
Wider Caribbean and Western
Mid-Atlantic workshop, Recife,
Brazil, February 2012
Proposed site meeting EBSA criteria:
Abrolhos Bank & Vitoria-Trindade Chain
Described in-part due to high regional biodiversity
as depicted using OBIS data.

19. Disclaimer: This is an information ONLY for the presentation. Some information on the map is yet to be finalized.
This is NOT for QUOTATION or Distribution.
Areas meeting CBD Scientific Criteria for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs,
annex 1 to decision IX/20) : areas in ABNJ

20. Nr of Records in OBIS

21. Animation: click on
https://iode.cartodb.com/viz/850936b2-18b6-11e5-88ce-0e9d821ea90d/public_map
This shows data between 2003 and 2015
• OBIS records (orange)
• 95 Research Vessels (blue) data from sailwx.info
Click here for heatmap:
https://iode.cartodb.com/viz/e3456462-18bb-11e5-8923-0e9d821ea90d/embed_map

22. 95 Research Vessels (2003-2015)

23. Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone
Light green = RFMO area, purple = ISA exploration sites; green = ISA no take zones

24. Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone
Light green = RFMO area, purple = ISA exploration sites; green = ISA APEI zones;
yellow to red squares = Nr of records in OBIS

25. Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone
Light green = RFMO area, purple = ISA exploration sites; green = ISA APEI zones;
yellow to red squares = Nr of records in OBIS; blue = Research vessel tracks

26. N-E Atlantic
Light green = RFMO area; green = VME; purple = no fishing zone

27. N-E Atlantic
Light green = RFMO area; green = VME; purple = no fishing zone;
yellow to red squares = Nr of records in OBIS

28. N-E Atlantic
Light green = RFMO area; green = VME; purple = no fishing zone;
yellow to red squares = Nr of records in OBIS; blue = research vessel tracks

29. S-E Atlantic
Light green = RFMO area; green = VME; purple = no fishing zone;

30. S-E Atlantic
Light green = RFMO area; green = VME; purple = no fishing zone;
yellow to red squares = Nr of records in OBIS

31. S-E Atlantic
Light green = RFMO area; green = VME; purple = no fishing zone;
yellow to red squares = Nr of records in OBIS; blue = research vessel tracks

32. Areas of oil & gas potential
vs. ecological importance
Ecologically or Biologically Important Areas Oil & Gas Potential
"Assessment units (AUs) in the Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA) color-coded by
assessed probability of the presence of at least one undiscovered oil and/or gas field with
recoverable resources greater than 50 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE).
USGS 2008/2011. Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal:
Estimates of undiscovered oil and gas north of the Arctic
Circle.

33. UN WG Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction
(UN BBNJ)
The technical experts of the UN Working
Group on Biodiversity Beyond National
Jurisdiction recognized IOC’s role in data
and information sharing,
And
considered IOC (OBIS) as an appropriate
mechanism for the management of
biodiversity data in areas beyond national
jurisdiction.
UNGA (A/RES/69/245) – recognizes IOC-
UNESCO’s OBIS contribution to Marine
Sciences

34. We recommend an international field program and coordinated
data repository be developed in conjunction with the International Seabed
Authority and the IOC-UNESCO's Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS)
and possibly other global networks.
Such a program should generate in a systematic and transparent way the
baseline information necessary to evaluate and model
impacts, enact protections, and regulate the mining of mineral
resources in the deep sea.
UNCLOS part XI-2 The Area - Marine Scientific Research
Art 143 (c) effectively disseminating the results of research and analysis when available,
through the Authority or other international channels when appropriate.

35. Benefit sharing : funding a global
deep-ocean data repository