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MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
D.ChandramohanIndiaMember, International Scientific Steering Committee, Census of Marine Life (COML)
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
The First Asia‐Pacific Heads of Research Council (ASIAHORC) symposium on Biodiversity
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Overview:
Status of BiodiversityThe problems of studying BiodiversityPeculiarities of the Marine environmentMarine Biodiversity –Patterns & ProcessesThe Challenges – Present & FutureThe opportunitiesCase StudiesConclusions
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Three Major Challenges in Biodiversity
INVENTORIZATION
CONSERVATION
SUSTAINABLE USE
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Three Major Challenges in Biodiversity
INVENTORIZATION
CONSERVATION
SUSTAINABLE USE
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Animal and Plant species:many hard to identify, many to be
discovered
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Identifying Life
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
250 years
1.7 million species
1500 -15000 years
10 -100 million species
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Sustainable use……..
“the ability to continue a defined behaviour indefinitely”
“ introduction of and application of methods and processes for the utilization of biodiversity to prevent its long-term decline, thereby maintaining its potential to meet current and future human needs and aspirations”
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Concept of Sustainability
• Central to Conservation
• Embodies social dimensions-including distribution, values and equity
• Understanding of the intrinsic limitations on the supply of biological products and ecological servicesSustainable use of Biodiversity
• Understanding of the concept greatly varies between different for and amongst different institutions and individuals
• There is no single dataset which has been developed to monitor changes of biodiversity subject to use for management
Problem of decision making
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Need an on-line Encyclopedia of Life because impossible to create, update hard copy volumes for 1.7 million species. Similarly, need new ways to visualize and analyze large sets of species and specimens
Challenge for Biodiversity Informatics
SCALE
What about the Marine Environment ?
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Nearly all animal phyla have marine representatives
Half of all marine phyla are exclusively marine
Approximately 230,000 marine species known
Most of the diversity in the oceans is yet to be discovered
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Peculiarities of the ocean
Salt LightTemperaturePressureMicroscopic plantsInvertebrate animals commonLow concentration of nutrientGreater total organic matter compared to land Average Depth: 3800 m Max: 11,000 m
Total Volume of water: ~ 1370 million cubic km
Space: ~ 300 more space for life than land & freshwater
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Light: essentially absent, except for bioluminescence
Temperature: low (~4°C) and constantSalinity: constant (~35 ppt)
Oxygen: generally adequate (may
be depleted near substratum)
Pressure: greatly elevated (can
exceed 1000 atm)
Food supply: extremely
limited (except near
hydrothermal vents)
Features of the Deep Sea
Oceans Present: Realm Projects
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
New Discoveries
Hydrothermal Vent Communities (Hot )
Gas Hydrate animal communities
Life in chemosynthesis Environments (Cold)
Starving majority deep beneath the sea floor (IODP)
Photosynthetic groups
Rare Microbial Communities of the deep (COML)
Exploration and DiscoverySome new species discoveries…
Athorybia rosacea – a siphonophore from the
Sargasso Sea
Palinurus barbarae –a lobster from around Madagascar
Promachoteuthis sloani – a squid from the mid-Atlantic Ridge
Ceratoserolis – an isopod from the Weddell Sea
Kiwa hirsuta – a crab from around Easter
Island (nicknamed the Yeti crab)
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
The Hidden Majority of the OceansAccording to one estimate there are 2 million different bacteria in the sea ( Curtis et.al.,2002).
But only 0.01-0.1% of the population can be cultured. (Amann et.al.,1995)
The solution : The “454 Tag Approach”
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
What are the challenges?Vastness of the ecosystem (s)Enormous cost of sampling resulting in inadequate samplingReal time visualization/ observation not possible at all timesHighly diversified flora & fauna –microbes to whalesNo reasonable forecast about future changesNew Life forms discovered even todayPossibility of losing them before recognitionLack of TaxonomistsHabitat destruction – Coastal and offshore developments; Pollutiono Shoreline erosion due to Ports & Harbourso Dredging & Disposalo Power plant cooling water intake and outfallo Desalination plants – Brine disposalo “Barotrauma” – Impact of Human generated noise on marine lifeo Deep-Sea mining and oil prospectingo Deep Sea Drilling Projects ( IODP )o Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ)
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
What are the unique problems?Lack of boundariesFate of area beyond national jurisdictionInternational Shipping – Invasive speciesClimate change – Sea Level rise; Coral bleachingToxic blooms
Invasive speciesA marine species invades a new environment somewhere in the world every 9 weeks
Climate Change•Sea level could rise as much as 80 cm this centuary• Coral bleaching – Could affect all of the tropical coral reefs within 30 years• Ocean acidification from increased CO2 prevents marine shell and skeleton growth
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
What are the opportunities ?Evolving New Technologies
o Sample collectiono Continuous observation – in situ Labs, Instruments e.g. viruseso Visualization of underwater communities – AUV,ROV, Manned Submersibleso Global Observation through Satelliteso Molecular Taxonomy – Barcoding of Life , 454 Technology
Conservationo Preservation of habitats and ecosystems – Marine Parks & Biosphere
Reserveso Applying Precautionary Principleso Developing Global Awareness & Networking programmes
Sustainable useo New Management Practices – Policies & Guidelineso Sharing the knowledgeo International agreements
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Case Studies
Census of Marine Life ( COML)
Barcoding of Life ( CBOL)
Genome Legacy ( Gene Bank-Canada)
Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve ( India)
Sethusamudram Shipping Channel ( India)
Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMAPS)(India)
Biodiversity Authority of India
Ocean Biogeography Observation System (OBIS) (COML)
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Conclusions
We need to develop programmes at• Local Level ( Concentrate on Special Ecosystems)• Regional Level –Joint Programmes• Global Level – Network Programmes
Develop new methods & techniques-sampling,identification
Apply Precautionary Principles in all our activities
Implement International Treaties without any compromise
Share the Data without any Geographical restriction
Increase the Training and Awareness Programmes
Introduce New or Improved Management Practices for Conservation and Sustainable use
Ecosystems can be conceptualized as biochemical networks
Biodiversity = Biochemical diversity
MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities
Nagoya,Japan,July,2009
Thank You
Acknowledgements
The Ecological Society of JapanThe First ASIAHORC Symposium OrganizersAsia-Pacific Heads of Research CouncilJapan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS)
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