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eDNA metabarcoding as a biomonitoring tool for marine protected areas

Monitoring of marine protected areas (MPAs) is critical for marine ecosystem management, yet current protocols rely on SCUBA-based visual surveys that are costly and time consuming, limiting their scope and effectiveness. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a promising alternative for marine ecosystem monitoring, but more direct comparisons to visual surveys are needed to understand the strengths and limitations of each approach.

Status of coral reefs in the Fiji islands : 2006 reef monitoring report, knowledge, management and beneficial use of coral reef ecosystems

In 2000, the Fiji Islands was at the northern edge of a large pool of unusually warm water, and suffered extensive hard coral death due to coral bleaching. A paper composed of a collection of studies from across the Fiji islands, linking this coral
death to elevated sea temperatures at the time, was published (Cummings et al 2000). The difficulty of gathering data from very different sources, and which had been recorded using many different methods, established the need for standardised

Occurrence and abundance of meso and microplastics in sediment, surface waters, and marine biota from the South Pacific region

Data on the occurrence and abundance of meso and microplastics for the South Pacific are limited and there is urgent need to fill this knowledge gap. The main aim of the study was to apply a rapid screening method, based on the fluorescence tagging of polymers using Nile red, to determine the concentration of meso and microplastics in biota, sediment and surface waters near the capital cities of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. A spatial investigation was carried out for sediment, biota and water as well as a temporal assessment for sediment for two consecutive years (2017 and 2018).

Pacific fisheries observer suspensions extended. Source - https://www.seafoodsource.com/
Pacific fisheries observer suspensions extended, WCPFC says health of observers a priority
November 4, 2020
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The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has extended the suspension of total fisheries observer coverage in the region until February 2021, amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic...The suspension of 100 percent of fisheries observer coverage was initiated in March as the pande

Rapid loss of species like these Spix’s macaws, considered extinct in the wild, may represent the sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history. PATRICK PLEUL/DPA/AFP via Getty Images
Protecting half of the planet is the best way to fight climate change and biodiversity loss – we’ve mapped the key places to do it
September 10, 2020
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Humans are dismantling and disrupting natural ecosystems around the globe and changing Earth’s climate. Over the past 50 years, actions like farming, logging, hunting, development and global commerce have caused record losses of species on land and at sea.