BBNJ: Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction

A practical framework for turning marine biodiversity data into reliable evidence, measurable conservation outcomes, and informed decisions that support BBNJ Agreement implementation.

The BBNJ Agreement creates a global framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, including the high seas. Its implementation depends on scientific evidence, international cooperation, effective monitoring and the ability to assess changes in marine ecosystems.

The eOceans® BBNJ Implementation Framework helps governments, research institutions, international organizations and conservation partners organize marine biodiversity data, assess ecological change and generate evidence to support implementation of the Agreement.

Six Pillars of BBNJ Implementation

1. Marine Biodiversity and Scientific Baselines

Build a stronger evidence base for understanding biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

• Species presence, absence and distribution

• Biodiversity and community composition

• Frequency of occurrence and relative abundance

• Marine species behaviour, size and age classes

• Spatial and temporal ecological trends

• Interactions among species and environmental pressures

• Identification of knowledge gaps and monitoring priorities

2. Area-Based Management Tools and Marine Protected Areas

Support the assessment, monitoring and evaluation of area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs).

• Baseline biodiversity assessments

• Species and habitat distribution across proposed or established areas

• Monitoring within and around protected areas

• Changes in ecological indicators over time

• Observed human activities and environmental pressures

• Assessment of progress toward conservation objectives

• Reporting to support adaptive management

3. Environmental Impact Assessment

Organize scientific evidence to support environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and the evaluation of activities that may affect marine biodiversity.

• Baseline environmental data

• Species, habitat and ecosystem observations

• Spatial distribution of observed environmental pressures

• Monitoring of environmental conditions and change

• Evidence to support impact assessment and follow-up monitoring

• Comparisons across locations and time periods

• Documentation of methods, findings and data limitations

4. Marine Genetic Resources and Scientific Data

Support the organization and management of marine biodiversity observations that provide context for research involving marine genetic resources (MGRs).

• Species occurrence and distribution records

• Ecological context for research locations

• Structured metadata and documented data sources

• Connections between observations and associated research datasets

• Data management and access permissions

• Collaboration across research teams and institutions

Marine genetic resource notifications, digital sequence information, access and benefit-sharing obligations require specific processes and records beyond general biodiversity monitoring. eOceans can support relevant evidence workflows but does not itself administer BBNJ benefit-sharing requirements.

5. Monitoring, Reporting and Evidence Quality

Strengthen the consistency, traceability and usability of evidence used to assess marine biodiversity and conservation outcomes.

• Standardized data collection and management methods

• Data validation and error detection

• Quality review and documented workflows

• Spatial and temporal analyses

• Maps, indicators and analytical reports

• Repeat monitoring and updated results

• Traceable evidence to support review and decision-making

6. Capacity-Building, Collaboration and Technology

Help connect scientific teams, institutions and partners through accessible tools for collecting, managing and analyzing marine biodiversity evidence.

• Collaborative monitoring across regions and projects

• Shared methods and consistent data structures

• Mobile field data collection and centralized project management

• Research and analytical workflows

• Training and practical use of digital evidence tools

• Collaboration among governments, researchers and conservation organizations

• Support for long-term monitoring and knowledge exchange

How eOceans Powers BBNJ Implementation

eOceans connects the evidence workflow, from field observations to analysis and reporting.

Set up projects. Configure study areas, species, methods, variables and monitoring objectives.

Collect and connect data. Bring together marine observations, photos, notes and existing datasets from researchers, field teams and partner organizations.

Improve data quality. Use validation, error detection, review and documented workflows to support reliable, traceable information.

Analyze and map evidence. Generate maps, summaries and analyses of biodiversity, species distribution, relative abundance and changes over time.

Report findings. Produce reports and visual outputs for research teams, management authorities, collaborators and decision-makers.

Keep evidence current. Add new data and update results as monitoring continues, supporting long-term assessment and adaptive management.

Where the Framework Can Be Applied

The framework can support evidence workflows associated with:

• Marine protected areas and other area-based management tools

• High-seas biodiversity baselines and monitoring

• Environmental impact assessment and follow-up monitoring

• Marine biodiversity research and assessment

• Regional and international monitoring collaborations

• Ecosystem change and cumulative pressure research

• Scientific data management and knowledge exchange

• Capacity-building and marine technology initiatives

Measure What Matters

Indicators should reflect the conservation objective, ecological context, monitoring design and available evidence. They may include species occurrence, distribution, relative abundance, biodiversity, observed environmental pressures, changes over time, monitoring coverage and progress toward defined management objectives.

Reliable assessments require appropriate sampling methods, sufficient monitoring effort, transparent documentation and careful interpretation. Observations alone do not establish population status, causal impacts or the effectiveness of a conservation measure.

The BBNJ Agreement has four core substantive areas: marine genetic resources and benefit-sharing; area-based management tools, including MPAs; environmental impact assessments; and capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology. eOceans can support the data, analysis and reporting workflows relevant to these areas, but does not replace the Agreement’s legal processes, institutional mechanisms or formal reporting obligations. United Nations BBNJ Agreement

Turn Marine Biodiversity Evidence into Action

Implementing the BBNJ Agreement requires collaboration and reliable scientific information that can be used to understand the ocean, assess conservation measures and track change over time.

eOceans helps teams organize their data, generate repeatable results and maintain evidence as new information becomes available, supporting the science and monitoring needed for effective ocean governance.

Build the evidence. Monitor change. Support the conservation and sustainable use of ocean biodiversity.

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