On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit in the French city of Brest, UNESCO has announced that at least 80 per cent of the seabed will be mapped by 2030, compared to 20 per cent currently.
- On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit, UNESCO Director General Ms Azoulay called for efforts to be stepped up by mobilizing the 150 Member States of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the private sector.
What are the objectives?
According to Audrey Azoulay, Knowing the depth and relief of the seabed is essential to know:
- location of ocean faults,
- workings of ocean currents and tides,
- the transport of sediments.
Data gathered will help to protect populations as they allow us to anticipate seismic and tsunami risks, identify natural sites that need to be safeguarded and fisheries resources for sustainable exploitation.
Seabed 2030 programme
- In 2017, UNESCO joined forces with Japan’s Nippon Foundation to launch the Seabed 2030 programme.
- When Seabed 2030 was launched five years ago, only 6% of the seabed was mapped to modern standards, today the figure stands at 20%.
- UNESCO is leading the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021 to 2030).
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