Photos by SR Livingstone

Global Marine Species Assessment: laying the foundations for marine conservation

The Global Marine Species Assessment began in late 2005 and is headquartered at the Department of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University, coordinated by Professor Kent Carpenter. This project is the first global review of the threat of extinction for every marine vertebrate species, plants and selected invertebrates. The project involves a range of partners in compiling and analyzing all existing data on approximately 20,000 marine species, and will determine the risk of extinction according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

For nearly 50 years, the Species Survival Commission (SSC) has been assessing the conservation status of species, subspecies, and populations on a global scale to highlight those threatened with extinction, and therefore promote their conservation. SSC remains committed to providing the world with the most objective, scientifically-based information on the current status of global biodiversity. It disseminates this information through the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The SSC is working with partners to assess key taxonomic groups of species for the Red List. The Biodiversity Assessment Unit  was established as a collaborative effort between IUCN/SSC and the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science at Conservation International. It aims to provide an effective method for gathering and disseminating the most accurate scientific data available for biodiversity conservation.

The GMSA is largely enabled by the generous support of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and Tom Haas.