The second half of the 24th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD’s) Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) was conducted in person in Geneva, Switzerland, between 14 and 29 March 2022. As the first in-person meeting convened by the CBD after the Covid-19 pandemic, and as the final chance to negotiateContinue Reading GOBI at CBD SBSTTA-24
Between 2016 and 2021, eight regional workshops – engaging more than 300 experts – have resulted in the identification of 173 important marine mammal areas (IMMAs) located in 90 countries or territories, across a third of the globe. IMMAs identified to date provide important habitats for 58 of the 131 recognised marine mammal species. This featContinue Reading The IMMA process in a nutshell
A recently published study – led by Duke University’s Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab (MGEL) with support from GOBI – used satellite tags on sea turtles to analyse complex movements across critical habitats. In total 1,235 sea turtles representing six species were tracked. These highly migratory animals were tagged in 79 marine regions around the world,Continue Reading Sea turtle movements demonstrate marine connectivity across the high seas
A bumper edition of the GOBI newsletter is out! In it there are articles on: how seabird tracking data have, for the first time ever, been instrumental in the designation of a marine protected area on the high seas how the process of designation of Important Marine Mammal Areas continues apace, overcoming the restrictions imposedContinue Reading New GOBI newsletter out now!
Building on the success and achievements from GOBI’s five-year programme of work funded through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), a further two years of work has been approved to build on these results and implement them in a regional setting. The extension recognises the value of GOBI’s continuing input to the science base underpinning the EBSAContinue Reading GOBI research awarded a two-year extension
On Thursday 28 October 2021, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) launched a new report to celebrate their decade-long efforts to describe and recognise Ecologically or Biologically Significant marine Areas (EBSAs) across the globe – GOBI was set up partly to assist with this effort. A decade of dedicated action by scientists, conservationists and facilitatorsContinue Reading Celebrating a decade of EBSAs
Eleven prime areas for threatened and vulnerable dolphin and porpoise species in the Black and Caspian Seas have been formally awarded Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Task Force on Marine Mammal Protected Areas. These areas were identified as significant for those species during the IMMA regionalContinue Reading New IMMAs recognised internationally
After years of focused campaigning, and backed by state-of-the-art scientific evidence, a new marine protected area (MPA) has been designated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Sea marine protected area – or NACES MPA – was designated by the 15 countries (and the EU) that are signatories to the OSPARContinue Reading New High Seas MPA in the North Atlantic
GOBI’s intention to be physically present at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France, took a blow when – due to the Covid-19 pandemic – its intended in-person Thematic Session was recategorised by the congress organisers as a virtual Speaker Pitch session. As a result of the change of format, the GOBI contribution nowContinue Reading GOBI at IUCN World Conservation Congress
The French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), in collaboration with Costa Rica’s Fundación MarViva, the Sargasso Sea Commission and the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), have announced the launch of a new project to protect and manage remarkable areas of the high seas, namely the Costa Rica Thermal Dome and the Sargasso Sea. The project is toContinue Reading New hybrid governance scheme project kick-off
