Abstract
Indian Ocean coral reef ecosystems are some of the least explored, least funded and least protected worldwide. "First Descent: Indian Ocean" represents a series of research expeditions undertaken by Nekton between 2018-2022 in partnership with Governments in the Indian Ocean region to contribute to establishing a baseline of marine life and catalyse 30% protection by 2030. Two recent expeditions, the 2018 WILDOCEANS/ACEP Comoros Mesophotic Biodiversity Expedition (led by WILDTRUST), and the 2019 First Descent: Seychelles (led by Nekton Foundation) systematically surveyed deeper reef ecosystems in those areas, resulting in collections of biological meterial and underwater footage. In August 2019, taxonomic experts from across the globe, attended a workshop in order to identify the collected material and provide a first snapshot of the diversity of the surveyed habitats. Part of the workshop also focused on providing taxonomic training to host nation scientists and early career researchers. This document is a report on the proceedings and some of the first outcomes of this workshop.
Highlights
The Indian Ocean is among the least known, least funded (
Nekton Foundation launched “First Descent: Indian Ocean”, a series of research expeditions to take place between 2018-2022 in order to contribute to establishing a baseline of marine life in the Indian Ocean and address the issues raised above
The aims of the workshop were two-fold: 1. To accelerate the assessment of the deeper reef biodiversity of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) fauna and flora, by examining biological specimens and underwater footage collected during the 2019 First Descent: Seychelles expedition
Summary
The Indian Ocean is among the least known (http://www.obis.org), least funded (
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