About this Research Topic
The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) is a global community of practice for the sustained collection, curation, and analysis of marine biodiversity data. It informs on the status and trends of life in the sea. MBON operates within the framework of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) and GEO Blue Planet to inform society of changes on ecosystem services. The role of the MBON is to broker relationships and activities. MBON members benefit from learning emerging and best practices, new collaborations, and co-authored publications.
A growing human population depends on healthy ocean ecosystems for economic and social benefits, such as high-quality food, pharmaceuticals and other materials, coastal protection, recreation, transportation, and renewable energy. Governments and scientists around the world have recognized the need for information on changes in marine biodiversity that are relevant to these ecosystem services. This includes practical information to implement conservation and sustainable development targets. It includes evaluating progress toward Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and several of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to enable global assessments such as those by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the UN World Ocean Assessment.
Important questions are whether the presence of particular species populations and knowledge of dynamic hotspots of multiple marine species allows better designation of areas for effective conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. Standardized products are needed to answer questions on whether present place-based conservation measures are suitable for a particular location and how to implement adaptive management strategies, given climate change scenarios, projected ocean uses, and the inherent changes in life in the ocean due to phenology, appearance of new species, or decreases in the abundance of specific groups of organisms. This requires quantifying changes in the abundance and distribution of species of ecological and conservation importance, invasive species, and human benefits from impacts to life in the sea from the coast to the deep ocean.
This Research Topic seeks contributions that emphasize the development, implementation, and applications of marine Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) developed by MBON, and of complementary, multidisciplinary Essential Ocean Variables developed under the Global Ocean Observing System of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (GOOS / IOC). Examples of how observing systems implement the measurement of these variables in coastal zones including wetlands, rocky shores, beaches, shallow and deep coral reefs, seagrasses, estuaries, pelagic areas, and in the abyss are welcome. Of interest are manuscripts describing assessments of the status and trends of marine biodiversity through time, the causes of such change, and ability to forecast and address sustainable development in the ocean in the face of such change.
We encourage international submissions from programs around the world with specific contributions to national and global MBON Contributions. These may include:
• History, national and international organization of MBONs, etc.
• National/regional Demonstration projects (e.g., MBON demonstrations, other)
• Topical papers (eDNA, remote sensing, biodiversity indices, data, etc.)
• The future - MBON Strategic and Implementation Plan (e.g., summary of MBON + OceanObs19)
• Other topics relevant to the organization, implementation, and use of the MBON
A variety of article types are welcome, including Original Research, Systematic Reviews, Perspective, Policy and Practice Reviews, and Hypothesis and Theory papers that delve into the fundamental aspects of marine ecology.
A growing human population depends on healthy ocean ecosystems for economic and social benefits, such as high-quality food, pharmaceuticals and other materials, coastal protection, recreation, transportation, and renewable energy. Governments and scientists around the world have recognized the need for information on changes in marine biodiversity that are relevant to these ecosystem services. This includes practical information to implement conservation and sustainable development targets. It includes evaluating progress toward Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and several of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to enable global assessments such as those by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the UN World Ocean Assessment.
Important questions are whether the presence of particular species populations and knowledge of dynamic hotspots of multiple marine species allows better designation of areas for effective conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. Standardized products are needed to answer questions on whether present place-based conservation measures are suitable for a particular location and how to implement adaptive management strategies, given climate change scenarios, projected ocean uses, and the inherent changes in life in the ocean due to phenology, appearance of new species, or decreases in the abundance of specific groups of organisms. This requires quantifying changes in the abundance and distribution of species of ecological and conservation importance, invasive species, and human benefits from impacts to life in the sea from the coast to the deep ocean.
This Research Topic seeks contributions that emphasize the development, implementation, and applications of marine Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) developed by MBON, and of complementary, multidisciplinary Essential Ocean Variables developed under the Global Ocean Observing System of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (GOOS / IOC). Examples of how observing systems implement the measurement of these variables in coastal zones including wetlands, rocky shores, beaches, shallow and deep coral reefs, seagrasses, estuaries, pelagic areas, and in the abyss are welcome. Of interest are manuscripts describing assessments of the status and trends of marine biodiversity through time, the causes of such change, and ability to forecast and address sustainable development in the ocean in the face of such change.
We encourage international submissions from programs around the world with specific contributions to national and global MBON Contributions. These may include:
• History, national and international organization of MBONs, etc.
• National/regional Demonstration projects (e.g., MBON demonstrations, other)
• Topical papers (eDNA, remote sensing, biodiversity indices, data, etc.)
• The future - MBON Strategic and Implementation Plan (e.g., summary of MBON + OceanObs19)
• Other topics relevant to the organization, implementation, and use of the MBON
A variety of article types are welcome, including Original Research, Systematic Reviews, Perspective, Policy and Practice Reviews, and Hypothesis and Theory papers that delve into the fundamental aspects of marine ecology.
Keywords: MBON, ocean observing, Marine Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBV), species distributions, ecosystem based management
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
