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| Marine Biodiversity Observation Network | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marine Biodiversity Observation Network |
| Abbreviation | MBON |
| Formation | 2012 |
| Type | Scientific network |
| Headquarters | Unknown |
| Region served | Global |
Marine Biodiversity Observation Network
The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network supports coordinated observation of marine life and habitats to inform conservation, policy, and research. It links oceanographers, ecologists, and data scientists across institutions like National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United Nations Environment Programme, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and regional bodies such as European Commission programs and National Science Foundation initiatives. The network engages partners including museums, universities, and agencies such as Smithsonian Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and Australian Institute of Marine Science.
The Network emerged to harmonize biodiversity observation efforts across projects like Global Ocean Observing System, Group on Earth Observations, Census of Marine Life, Future Earth, World Register of Marine Species, and Global Biodiversity Information Facility. It interfaces with conventions and agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Convention on Migratory Species, and regional agreements like the Barcelona Convention and Noumea Convention. Stakeholders include agencies such as European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and research centers like Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Objectives align with global targets set by Aichi Biodiversity Targets, Sustainable Development Goal 14, and frameworks from Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Scope covers taxa cataloged in databases maintained by institutions such as Natural History Museum, London, California Academy of Sciences, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and field programs run by Sea Education Association. It supports coastal, pelagic, benthic, and deep-sea observation spanning regions monitored by North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission, Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, and Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.
Governance typically references models used by Group on Earth Observations and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission through steering committees, scientific advisory panels, and national nodes funded by agencies like Natural Environment Research Council, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, and Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology. Collaborations include networks such as Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative, Marine Strategy Framework Directive teams, Ocean Observatories Initiative, and academic consortia from University of California, Davis, University of Southampton, University of Tokyo, and University of Cape Town.
Monitoring methods integrate remote sensing from platforms operated by European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and satellites like Sentinel-3 and Landsat series, with in situ sampling using autonomous systems from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Technologies include environmental DNA protocols developed alongside laboratories at Broad Institute, acoustic monitoring used by Cornell Lab of Ornithology teams, benthic imagery processed using tools created at Stanford University, and tagging programs leveraging designs from Tagging of Pacific Predators. Field campaigns use vessels such as RV Atlantis and RRS James Cook and platforms like Argo floats and Gliders supported by networks including Global Drifter Program.
Data practices follow standards from Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Darwin Core, Ocean Biogeographic Information System, and metadata schemas advocated by Research Data Alliance and Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. Interoperability links to repositories such as PANGEA, Zenodo, Dryad (repository), and institutional archives at Smithsonian Institution and National Oceanography Centre. Quality assurance draws on methods from International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, taxonomic authorities like World Register of Marine Species, and specimen collections at Natural History Museum, Paris and American Museum of Natural History.
Key programs partner with initiatives including Census of Antarctic Marine Life, Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Pilot Projects in regions like the Gulf of Mexico and Coral Triangle, regional nodes such as European Marine Observation and Data Network, North Pacific Marine Science Organization, Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and capacity-building projects run with Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and African Union. Collaborative research projects involve teams from Monterey Bay Aquarium, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, CONICYT, CONABIO, and regional agencies like Fisheries Research Agency (Japan).
Challenges include harmonizing taxonomic standards across authorities like International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, scaling eDNA methods validated by Max Planck Society labs, ensuring funding continuity from bodies such as European Research Council and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and integrating socio-ecological data linked to programs at Food and Agriculture Organization, World Bank, and International Maritime Organization. Future directions point to stronger ties with climate research centers like Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, expanded use of machine learning from groups at Google DeepMind and Microsoft Research, deployment of next-generation satellites from European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and enhanced policy uptake via entities such as United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Convention on Biological Diversity processes.
Category:Marine biology