Progress report for
Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)
Achievement at a glance
Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Pole to Pole Capacity Building and a Community of Practice:Since 2016, the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) has been expanding its global leadership to support capacity building for biodiversity field data collection and data management throughout the Americas. The MBON Pole to Pole effort is developing a framework for the collection, use and sharing of marine biodiversity data in a coordinated, standardized manner. It is leveraging existing infrastructure managed by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS; IOC-UNESCO), the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), the Ocean Teacher Global Academy (OTGA), and the GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON).
The MBON Pole to Pole aims to become a key resource for decision-making and management of living resources across countries for reporting requirements under the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), post-2020 targets of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
MBON Pole to Pole has held 4 separate workshops in the Americas In 2017. The program is described here:
https://marinebon.org/pages/pole_to_pole/
Japan announced support for coordination of an Asia Pacific MBON, and it intends to engage in a coordinated, regional Pole to Pole effort as well.
We welcome interest from other regions.
Challenges faced in implementation
There are several important challenges. At the moment, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the MBON Pole to Pole efforts to communicate amomng members to be solely virtual. A workshop planned for May 2020 had to be cancelled.\r\n\r\nMBON Pole to Pole will require financial support for continuing capacity building efforts. The financial support helps cover travel and also minimal equipment needed especially in developing countries and island states.Beneficiaries
The MBON Pole to Pole effort benefits all researchers, students, as well as stakeholders interested in understanding ecosystem services. All ecosystem services depend on biodiversity. Common frameworks for understanding stakeholder needs, developing a plan for monitoring biodiversity, collecting, curating, archiving the data, and generating products that satisfy the need of stakeholders are needed to ensure that data and databases are interoperable. The MBON Pole to Pole effort is a contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Actions
MBON Pole to Pole has conducted several training workshops, maintains an active dialogue with participants via social media (WhatsApp) and has developed a website where methods and data are openly posted.https://marinebon.org/pages/pole_to_pole/
MBON Pole to Pole has also requested funding from various sponsors and welcomes collaborations with groups interested in developing such proposals and with groups interested in sponsoring collaborations and solutions.