Partners

German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation

The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), which is an advisory agency of the German Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), is Germany’s central scientific authority for both national and international nature conservation. It has key enforcement functions under international species, biotopes and area conservation agreements, marine conservation law and the Antarctic Treaty. www.bfn.de/

International Union for Conservation of Nature

IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) brings together States, government agencies and a diverse range of NGOs in a unique world partnership which seeks to assist societies throughout the world to conserve the diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. www.iucn.org

Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) came into force on December 29, 1993 with the objectives to conserve biological diversity, use it in a sustainable fashion, and to share its benefits fairly and equitably. www.cbd.int/

Census of Marine Life

The Census of Marine Life is a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. The Census aims to make a global list of all forms of life in the sea, produce species range maps, and measure their abundance. www.coml.org/

Ocean Biogeographic Information System

Established by the Census of Marine Life, OBIS’ mission is to make worldwide marine biogeographic data freely available over the World Wide Web. OBIS provides taxonomically and geographically resolved data on marine life and environments as well as software tools for data exploration and analysis. www.iobis.org/

UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

The mission of the United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is to evaluate and highlight the many values of biodiversity and put authoritative biodiversity knowledge at the centre of decision-making. www.unep-wcmc.org/

Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab

The Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab (MGEL) applies geospatial technologies to issues in marine ecology, resource management and ocean conservation. http://mgel.env.duke.edu/

Marine Conservation Institute is a leader in the global movement to protect and recover the integrity of vast ocean areas. We use the latest science to identify important marine ecosystems around the world, and then advocate for their protection, for us and future generations. www.marine-conservation.org

The United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) conducts research, postgraduate education and capacity development globally with a focus on the interaction of social and natural systems. www.ias.unu.edu

Aquamaps

Creating standardised range maps for (eventually) all marine species. www.aquamaps.org

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. BirdLife Partners operate in over one hundred countries worldwide. www.birdlife.org

CSIRO is Australia's national science agency. Through its Wealth from Oceans Flagship, CSIRO works nationally and internationally to provide solutions for enduring social, environmental and economic wealth from our oceans. www.csiro.au

A Census of Marine Life program using electronic tagging technologies to study migration patterns and habitat use of Pacific Ocean predators. www.topp.org

Established by the Census of Marine Life, CenSeam's mission is to determine the role of seamounts in the biogeography, biodiversity, productivity, and evolution of marine organisms, and to evaluate the effects of human exploitation on seamounts. http://censeam.niwa.co.nz

The HERMIONE (Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact on European Seas) project is a collaborative project designed to make a major advance in our knowledge of the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems and their contribution to the production of goods and services. www.eu-hermione.net

The French Marine Protected Areas Agency (Agence des aires marines protégées) is a public entity aiming at supporting public policies, managing human and financial resources as well as giving technical and administrative support to managers in the field of marine protected areas. http://www.aires-marines.fr/Accueil.html

The Australian Research Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies mission is to address the global need for scientific knowledge that underpins management of coral reef resources. A primary goal of the Centre is to develop and undertake research programs of international significance that transcend traditional disciplinary, institutional and geographic boundaries. The Centre has collaborative links to 345 institutions in 52 countries. http://www.coralcoe.org.au

The Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores supports and facilitates pure and applied research in oceanography, fisheries and biodiversity to improve the scientific knowledge, marine conservation and sustainable use of the Atlantic Ocean around the Azores. http://www.dop.uac.pt

The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership advises major grocery retailers and their suppliers to meet their sustainable seafood procurement commitments and reduce market-based reputation risks by choosing their sources wisely. The Partnership assists marine capture fisheries, aquaculture industries and management authorities to gradually improve seafood production methods and governance. The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership's mission is to maintain healthy ocean and aquatic ecosystems, enhance fishing and fish-farming livelihoods and secure food supplies. www.sustainablefish.org

GRID-Arendal is an official United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) collaborating centre, supporting informed decision making and awareness-raising through: Environmental information management and assessment, capacity building services; outreach and communication tools, and methodologies and products. http://www.grida.no

Founded in 1986, the Tethys Research Institute is a private non-profit organisation specialising in cetacean research. Tethys aims to protect the Mediterranean biodiversity by promoting the adoption of a precautionary approach for the management of natural resources. www.tethys.org

The aim of the International Network for Scientific Investigations of Deep-Sea Ecosystems (INDEEP) is to develop and synthesise our understanding of deep-sea global biodiversity and functioning and provide a framework to bridge the gap between scientific results and society to aid in the formation of sustainable management strategies. INDEEP aims to bring together and help coordinate research efforts from across the globe through 5 working groups targeting: Taxonomy and evolution; Global biodiversity and biogeography; Population connectivity; Ecosystem function; Anthropogenic impact and social policy. INDEEP is funded by the Total Foundation. www.indeep-project.org

Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary is one of the largest near-shore live-bottom reefs of the southeastern United States. Find out more at www.graysreef.noaa.gov

One of the world's leading institutions focusing on the tropics, Australia's James Cook University is surrounded by the spectacular ecosystems of the rainforests of the Wet tropics, the dry savannahs, and the iconic Great Barrier Reef. www.jcu.edu.au

The South African National Biodiversity Institute is responsible for exploring, revealing, celebrating and championing biodiversity for the benefit and enjoyment of all South Africans. www.sanbi.org

The Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations (SCRFA) was formed in 2000 to promote responsible stewardship of reef fish spawning aggregations. Our work seeks to highlight the vulnerability of reef fish spawning aggregations to fishing, and the need for their better protection and management. www.scrfa.org

www.hawaii.edu

UNU-IAS is amongst the newest in the network of research and training centres within the UNU system . The Institute conducts research, postgraduate education and capacity development, both in-house and in cooperation with an interactive network of academic institutions and international organisations. www.ias.unu.edu

For more than 250 years, Columbia has been a leader in higher education in the nation and around the world. At the core of our wide range of academic inquiry is the commitment to attract and engage the best minds in pursuit of greater human understanding, pioneering new discoveries and service to society. www.columbia.edu