Many mysteries lie beneath the ocean waters, especially in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). These oceanic regions, which represent 50% of the Earth’s surface, have been little explored due to their vast extent and depth.
With the aim to provide a more detailed insight in biodiversity and its threats in ABNJ a Facebook Live event was held on October 6, 2021, as part of the outreach strategy of the STRONG High Seas project in the South East Pacific region.
In the beginning Jaime Aburto Frías (Universidad Católica del Norte / ESMOI) explained the most important functions of ABNJs and the biggest threats to ABNJs. Afterwards Ariadna Mecho Lausac (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement LSCE/IPSL) focused her presentation on the deep-sea biodiversity of the Southeast Pacific. She highlighted the variety of habitats and ecosystems, from seamounts, canyons, plains to hydrothermal vents and focused particularly on FAO Area 87, located in the Pacific Ocean and stretching from northern Colombia to southern Chile.
In her presentation on biodiversity of marine mammals in the Southeast Pacific, Isabel Cristina Ávila (Universidad del Valle / Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research ITAW) explained the important role of marine mammals in the ecosystem due to their wide distribution, as the migration of these species, both throughout the ocean and at different depths, helps the circulation of nutrients in the water layers, facilitates oxygenation and contributes to the balance of phytoplankton.
A more detailed summary of the event is available here in English and Spanish.
