October 2024: COP16 insights, animals under the seabed, and behavior change for biodiversity

Here’s our round-up of some of this month’s exciting ocean science news! As the UN Biodiversity COP16 just ended, we're featuring updates and news related to marine biodiversity, including a new flagship Ocean Decade publication.

The ocean at COP16: insights and resources

The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) ended in the morning on 2 November, after two weeks of negotiations on key points to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

While countries did not reach consensus on some critical financing decisions, COP16 did secure key steps forward for the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems, including:

• A new agreement on ecologically or biologically significant marine areas, or ESBAs, was reached—a major step forward after 8 years of hurdles. ESBAs are meant to designate the most critical and vulnerable parts of the ocean. Countries agreed on new mechanisms to identify new EBSAs and update existing ones, ensuring that the cataloging of information of these areas can support planning and management with the most advanced science and knowledge available.
• Countries also recognized the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in biodiversity protection, and agreed to create a permanent body of the Convention on Biological Diversity to secure their place within global decision-making processes.

In addition, Ocean Day on 27 October highlighted the role of the ocean as the great connector—linking peoples, cultures, economies, and ecosystems. The Ocean Decade organized and participated in several events to call for increased investment in ocean science, and showcased scientific ocean solutions through a new publication featuring success stories from the Ocean Decade network of over 600 initiatives: ”An Ocean of Life: How the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is supporting implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework”.

Looking for more information on what happened at COP16? The Earth Negotiations Bulletin has daily highlights and a full summary report here.

Scientists discover animals living under the seabed.

It was once believed only microbes and viruses could live under the seafloor, but scientists from NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research found that adult tubeworms, polychaete worms, and sea snails were living under hydrothermal vents, under the seafloor at around 2,500 meters below the ocean's surface!

Scientists involved in the study highlighted that this groundbreaking discovery underscore the need for protecting vents, as the extent of these habitats has yet to be fully ascertained.

Are we missing the mark on biodiversity? 90% of countries ignore key behavior changes.

Researchers from the 英国萨里大学 have found that there is a significant gap between national policies to enhance biodiversity and the individual and small group behavioral changes that are critical to making a real difference.

The study finds that 90% of countries with biodiversity conservation policies fail to specify the actions needed from individuals or groups to change their behavior.

Researchers involved in the study suggest this gap may explain the lack of progress on global conservation targets.

Cover photo: Tubeworms on the seafloor. ? Dedi Galih Wisnumurtii/Shutterstock.com