General Information

Author: Lis Lindal Jørgensen (convener), Christos Arvanitidis, Silvana N.R. Birchenough, Malcolm R. Clark, Igor Cristino Silva Cruz, Marina Cunha, Alan Deidun, Judith Gobin, Maruf Hossain, Ana C.M. de Jesus, Carmen Mifsud, Khac Bat Nguyen, Chul Park (chapter lead member), Rachel Przeslawski, Jake Rice, Lennert Schepers, Paul Snelgrove, Natalia Strelkova, Leen Vandepitte
Issued date: 31/12/2021
Issued by: The Second World Ocean Assessment (WOA II). Volume I, Chapter 6B, United Nations publication. Printed at the United Nations, New York. 141-160

Content

Keynote points

• As of 2019, 153,434 marine benthic invertebrate species had been described globally.

• Since 2012, researchers have described 10,777 new marine benthic invertebrate species; at the same time, biodiversity is changing globally at rates unprecedented in human history, creating the potential for species extinction before they have been described.

• The deep sea covers 43  per  cent of the Earth’s surface, with an estimated 95 per cent of marine invertebrate species still undescribed.

• Major pressures on marine invertebrates include temperature increase, ocean acidification, physical impacts on the seabed,
the extraction of living and non-living resources, coastal use, invasive species and pollution.

• Large areas of the globe, including areas beyond national jurisdiction, still lack effective and adequate long-term ecosystem monitoring and protection for marine invertebrates.

• Despite new research regarding many important ecosystem processes, functions, goods and services, huge knowledge gaps remain in understanding the impact of reductions in benthic invertebrate biodiversity on human well-being and ecosystem dynamics.

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