For IOC session 2: Monitoring progress of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in the deep sea

A biodiversity crisis is unfolding in our world ocean with direct exploitation, climate change, pollution and alien invasive species as the main anthropogenic drivers. To respond to this crisis, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) set an ambitious plan to protect biodiversity on land and in the ocean through 4 Goals and 23 Targets to be met by 2050. To assess progress towards meeting those goals and targets, a monitoring framework of the GBF includes proposed headline, component and complementary indicators. However, many of these indicators have originated on terrestrial ecosystems and their applicability in the ocean has not been evaluated. For the deep ocean in particular, some of the headline indicators may not even be feasible to use. For example, Goal A aspires that the integrity, connectivity and resilience of all ecosystems are maintained, enhanced, or restored, substantially increasing the area of natural ecosystems by 2050, and will be assessed based on four indicators. Two of these, A.2 “the extent of natural ecosystems” and A.4, “the proportion of populations within species with an effective population size > 500” are not quantifiable in the deep ocean presently because of lack of data. However, indicator A.1, “Red list of ecosystems”, may be useable, at least for some deep-sea ecosystems. In this presentation, we will discuss the current feasibility of using the proposed indicators in the deep-sea context, using specific examples. We will address current gaps in scientific knowledge that may hinder the application of the monitoring framework of the GBF in the deep ocean and suggest ways forward. It is anticipated that the GBF will form the basis for the implementation of many elements of the BBNJ agreement and identifying the science needs that can support concurrently the implementation of both agreements to help advance the conservation of deep-ocean biodiversity.