The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, conducted a national-level workshop on the Indian Ocean Biodiversity Information System (IndOBIS) on September 03, 2024, at its Kochi campus. The workshop brought together scientists and researchers from various institutions across the country. The workshop helped raise awareness about marine biodiversity data documentation and publishing among the participants.

Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, MoES, congratulated CMLRE on successfully conducting the first IndOBIS workshop. “Deep sea biodiversity exploration and conservation under vertical 3 of India’s Deep Ocean Mission is vital to the mission's overall success. It also directly aligns with the SDG-14: life below water and impacts the success of several more SDGs”, he said.  

Dr GVM Gupta, Director of CMLRE, highlighted the importance of IndOBIS in advancing marine biodiversity documentation and data sharing, supporting sustainable management of aquatic resources, and fostering regional and global collaboration in marine biodiversity knowledge sharing at the inaugural ceremony of the workshop. “Through a hands-on training workshop, we aim to enable researchers to submit scientifically standardised marine biodiversity data and contribute to the global knowledge pool. It is a valuable opportunity for scientists to publish data papers, gather and collate existing knowledge and collaborate on an international platform”, he said.  

IndOBIS is the Indian regional node of the global Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). OBIS is one of the largest global repositories of information on marine species, containing millions of records from thousands of datasets contributed by researchers, governments, and organisations worldwide. It provides detailed information on species distribution across the world's oceans, including data on their occurrence, habitats, and environmental parameters. It offers tools and services that allow users to search, visualise, and download biodiversity data. OBIS is supported by a network of nearly 30 regional nodes contributing data while ensuring the data's quality and accessibility. OBIS is a ready reference resource in marine science, conservation, and education. It has been set up by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO for promoting marine science, conservation, and sustainable development. It is now an integral component of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) of IOC.

The IndOBIS workshop was a valuable platform for training and capacity building in data acquisition, analysis, and management, especially for marine biodiversity in the Indian Ocean. As the data accepted to IndOBIS is scientifically quality-controlled and geotagged, it can be used in innovative studies such as tracking species distribution, identifying biodiversity hotspots, and accessing climate change impacts, which is crucial for developing adaptive management strategies and supporting sustainable fisheries.

Aligned with the objective of IndOBIS to generate awareness of marine biodiversity, CMLRE has also developed a mobile application called Ocean Eyes. The Ocean Eyes mobile app is a citizen-centric and community-engagement approach to data collection, sharing, and analysis in marine biodiversity monitoring and research. The app has a user-friendly interface and is available free of cost for both iOS and Android platforms. Citizens and users can record sightings of marine species, log environmental conditions, and upload geotagged photos directly through the mobile. This data is valuable for building a comprehensive understanding of marine biodiversity and ecological changes over time. Real-time reporting of observations to IndOBIS is also possible through Ocean Eyes.

The IndOBIS is the only Indian regional node of OBIS, which has been developed, facilitated, and is being run by CMLRE. It accepts several categories of marine biodiversity data types, including literature and occurrence, abundance records, DNA-derived or genomic profiles, etc.

CMLRE is a premier research institution under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Established in 1998, it is dedicated to studying and sustainably managing marine living resources in India. The institution is crucial in advancing marine science, conducting cutting-edge research, and supporting policy development to protect and conserve India’s marine ecosystems. CMLRE maintains voucher (preserved) specimens of deep-sea biodiversity as part of the IndOBIS objectives. IndOBIS can be accessed at https://indobis.in/.

 

Group photograph of the participants at the first IndOBIS workshop conducted at CMLRE Kochi, an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, on September 03, 2024.

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