Biodiversity research demands long-term effort and support

The UN General Assembly has declared 2011-2020 as the UN Decade on Biodiversity and has asked the Secretary General “to lead the co-ordination of the activities of the decade on behalf of the UN system.”

Now that 2010 – declared by the UN as the International Year of Biodiversity – has come to a close, and the world looks forward to the next target for successful biodiversity monitoring and conservation, one needs to consider the local and global scenario.

When news of the stranding of large numbers of whales, jellyfish blooms and fish suddenly dying go round the world, questions are expected to be answered instantly; clearly, scientific and objective replies demand dedicated scientific research which is not often available.

In most cases, such lack ofscientific research is due to lackof funds; in other cases, lack ofdedicated scientists.

Locally, the environment and science have both been promoted as issues of national importance, but funds are still needed to support relevant research departments at the University to assist local long-term scientific research, technological advances and training running costs.

An example may be noted in the monitoring of marine biodiversity, including jellyfish blooms, at the Department of Biology of the University of Malta, which has contributed to international research.

A scientific paper published last July indicates that the jellyfish Pelagia noticula, commonly known as the purple-striped jelly or the mauve stinger, has been spotted around the Mediterranean at all times of the year.

The results of this five-year research indicate the importance of considering this species on a larger Mediterranean scale.

Such results allow better considerations of how to sustain effective scientific research for management of our natural resources and environmental conditions.

Pelagia noctiluca blooms, like many other marine organisms in our waters, have been observed locally all the year round for many years now. In fact, samples of this species of jellyfish observed in large blooms also in January 2006 were sampled for genetic analyses.

Obviously, since jellyfish invasions cause such a nuisance to swimmers in summer, we have seen greater attention being given to this issue in summer when, in fact, it is a year-round occurrence.

For this reason, year-round marine research covering areas from coastal to offshore is essential to study marine biodiversity. Sea users and fishermen are potentially important contributors to this biodiversity research work and for this reason they have been invited to co-operate with local councils in various biodiversity projects.

This fruitful co-operation has seen local entities, apart from the Conservation Biology Research Group at the University of Malta (CBRG), such as the Biological Conservation Research Foundation and fishermen, representing Malta on Maltese biodiversity issues of concern at the International Meeting on Biodiversity in Brussels.

This meeting, on the theme‘Positive visions for biodiversity’ was held under the Belgian EU Presidency and consisted of two parts: a first participatory phase (November 16-17) opened up the debate to stakeholders from various professions to develop a positive vision for humans and nature.

In the second phase (November 18-19), scientists and policy-makers discussed how research could help reach this vision. The international meeting was an important contribution to the 2010 International Year for Biodiversity and its conservation in the coming years.

Ongoing research efforts at the Department of Biology target various marine species and relationships of marine biodiversity and fisheries.

Such research is intended to lead to a holistic understanding of how, for example, jellyfish blooms may affect our marine life and its future. The CBRG’s ongoing work was also presented at the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean’s meeting in December.

Not surprisingly, therefore, large P. noctiluca blooms are again being observed in Maltese waters this winter, during ongoing long-term scientific marine surveys conducted by the CBRG of the University of Malta.

They are not limited to one area, as they have a pelagic life history and are often spotted offshore too. They have been found in various areas around Malta, including close to tuna pens and aquaculture sites.

Dr Vella, of the Conservation Biology Research Group of the Department of Biology at the University of Malta, is the national contact person contributing to the Mediterranean-wide CIESM JellyWatch Programme.

For more information on biodiversity and conservation projects run by the CBRG, University of Malta, e-mail adriana.vella@um.edu.mt.