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[WILD_SEAS] Ambitious bid launched for worldwide marine census

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Feb 22, 2001, 10:38:29 PM2/22/01

Comment: SCIENCE PER SE - IS OK!, but in todays world one always has to
ask - where is the money coming from and where shall the benefits of
research finally flow to. The genom-hunters and patent-gatherers are
right out there to make one thing sure: Nobody shall have the benefits
of nature and to enjoy nature - for free. After the rainforests now the
deep oceans are the last safes to be plundered. Let us not only hope,
but make sure that independent scientific bodies and the people stay in
charge of such programmes - and not governments and not corporations.
Censi are usually power-instruments - PRINCIPIIS OBSTA!

---------------fwd.msg------------------

Ambitious bid launched for worldwide marine census
AUSTRALIA: February 22, 2001

SYDNEY - Marine scientists from across Australia are meeting at
laboratories this week as part of an ambitious $1 billion international
attempt to record all life in the world’s oceans, officials said
yesterday.

The International Census of Marine Life, being led by US groups, could
settle once and for all whether fabled animals such as Jules Verne’s
giant squid populate the uncharted ocean depths. “We should give them
(giant squids) a run for their money if they were (down there),” said
Don Michel, communications director of the Marine Research division of
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
(CSIRO).

Only around five percent of the world’s oceans have been surveyed for
marine life - mostly in coastal regions.

The international census, expected to take 10 years, is being promoted
by Jesse Ausubel of the US-based Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a private
philanthropic organisation that fosters scientific programmes.

An international steering committee from marine research institutions in
the United States, Europe and Japan is due to release a scientific
strategy for the data collection of the census later this year.

HIGH TECH SURVEY

So far 63 institutions in 15 countries had begun work around the world
on an ocean bio-geographical information system that would support the
census, Ausubel said in a CSIRO statement.

The Australian scientists were meeting in Hobart, on the island of
Tasmania, to discuss Australia’s possible contribution to the project

The census would be conducted through multi-scanning technologies which
can map the acoustic signatures of a wide range of sea life, Michel told
Reuters.

Subsequent physical sampling of selected areas would then produce data
that would be fed into super computers which would create models to
produce fairly accurate estimates of most major forms of marine life.

The census would also use advanced electronic data-storage tags to track
and monitor the behaviour of large animals at the top of the food chain,
such as whales, sea turtles and tuna, offering clues to the distribution
and abundance of many other marine species, Ausubel said.

In addition, plans were under way to charter a ship “to go around the
world in a Charles Darwin sort of way”, conducting deep water tests for
viruses and bacteria, Michel said. “(There could be) huge pharmaceutical
applications,” he said.

The census project is expected to be backed by about $500 million from
the United States, with the remaining $500 million expected to be
contributed by Japan, Europe and other participants including Australia,
Michel said.

SOURCE: Story by Michael Byrnes REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

---------------

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http://www.ecoterra.org.uk
soon: http://www.ecoterra.de

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with e.g. Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed
without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
such information for research or educational, personal and
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sources and references concerning the transmitted information, the
responsibility for the accuracy of all articles rests with the
originators and readers and not with the sender as such. Sources are
given when possible. If a copyright is noted, recipients should seek
permission from the source to reprint this photocopy. Otherwise, please
feel free to distribute without alteration and with all notes. If you
have received this mail in error, please contact the sender, delete the
material immediately from all your systems and do not use or disclose
the information in any way. The contents of this message may contain
personal views, which may not necessarily represent the views of
ECOTERRA Intl., unless specifically stated.
-------------------------------------------------
What you always wanted to know - check it out at:
<http://www.angelfire.com/mi/smilinks/thirdeye.html>
-----------------

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Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
<html>
Comment: SCIENCE PER SE - IS OK!, but in todays world one always
has to ask - where is the money coming from and where shall the benefits
of research finally flow to. The genom-hunters and patent-gatherers are
right out there to make one thing sure: Nobody shall have the benefits
of nature and to enjoy nature - for free. After the rainforests now the
deep oceans are the last safes to be plundered. Let us not only hope, but
make sure that independent scientific bodies and the people stay in charge
of such programmes - and not governments and not corporations. Censi are
usually power-instruments - PRINCIPIIS OBSTA!
---------------fwd.msg------------------
Ambitious bid launched for worldwide marine census
 AUSTRALIA: February 22, 2001
SYDNEY - Marine scientists from across Australia are meeting at laboratories
this week as part of an ambitious $1 billion international attempt to record
all life in the world’s oceans, officials said yesterday.
The International Census of Marine Life, being led by US groups, could
settle once and for all whether fabled animals such as Jules Verne’s giant
squid populate the uncharted ocean depths. “We should give them (giant
squids) a run for their money if they were (down there),” said Don Michel,
communications director of the Marine Research division of Australia’s
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Only around five percent of the world’s oceans have been surveyed for
marine life - mostly in coastal regions.
The international census, expected to take 10 years, is being promoted
by Jesse Ausubel of the US-based Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a private
philanthropic organisation that fosters scientific programmes.
An international steering committee from marine research institutions
in the United States, Europe and Japan is due to release a scientific strategy
for the data collection of the census later this year.
HIGH TECH SURVEY
So far 63 institutions in 15 countries had begun work around the world
on an ocean bio-geographical information system that would support the
census, Ausubel said in a CSIRO statement.
The Australian scientists were meeting in Hobart, on the island of Tasmania,
to discuss Australia’s possible contribution to the project
The census would be conducted through multi-scanning technologies which
can map the acoustic signatures of a wide range of sea life, Michel told
Reuters.
Subsequent physical sampling of selected areas would then produce data
that would be fed into super computers which would create models to produce
fairly accurate estimates of most major forms of marine life.
The census would also use advanced electronic data-storage tags to track
and monitor the behaviour of large animals at the top of the food chain,
such as whales, sea turtles and tuna, offering clues to the distribution
and abundance of many other marine species, Ausubel said.
In addition, plans were under way to charter a ship “to go around the
world in a Charles Darwin sort of way”, conducting deep water tests for
viruses and bacteria, Michel said. “(There could be) huge pharmaceutical
applications,” he said.
The census project is expected to be backed by about $500 million from
the United States, with the remaining $500 million expected to be contributed
by Japan, Europe and other participants including Australia, Michel said.
SOURCE: Story by Michael Byrnes REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
---------------
  
ECOTERRA Intl.
 Nairobi Node
 <a href="http://www.ecoterra.net">http://www.ecoterra.net</a>
 <a href="http://www.ecoterra.org.uk">http://www.ecoterra.org.uk</a>
 soon: <a href="http://ww.ecoterra.de">http://www.ecoterra.de</a>
ECOTERRA - FIRST PEOPLES & NATURE FIRST
!
 SURVIVAL & FREEDOM  for  PEOPLE
& NATURE
 24 h EMERGENCY RESPONSE PHONE LINE: +254-733-633-000
Feel welcome to subscribe to any or all of our free mailing lists:
ECOTERRA Intl. keeps your Personally Identifiable Information confidential
 and does not sell, trade or exchange mailing lists with any organization.
WILD_PEOPLES   (Defending natural rights of traditional tribal
peoples)
                                
(also various lists for specific tribal peoples)
 WILD_FORESTS   (Protection of the natural forests)
 WILD_LIFE           
(Protection of species of wild fauna and flora)
WILD_SKY           
(Protection of the atmosphere)
 WILD_SEAS          (Protection
of the marine biosphere)
 WILD_LANDS       (Protection of the terrestrial
ecosystems)
 WILD_WATERS    (Protection of the aquatic eosystems)
WILD_ GENES      (Protection against genetically
modified organisms)
WILD_ROAR         (ECOTERRA
ALERT BULLETIN)
 WILD_PRESS        (hot news, features
& press releases you don't get from the mainstream media)
WILD_TIMES_NEWS - the hardcopy for people without internet access
 -----------
 YOUR IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANY LIST AND TO WTN IS MOST WELCOME!
 To subscribe or unsubscribe just send a mail to <a href="mailto:wil...@ecoterra.net">WILDNET</a>
<wil...@ecoterra.net>
 ... and please specify the listname! Thanks!
 -----------
 ****NOTICE: This email and any files or attachments transmitted with
it may be confidential and/or privileged. The information is intended solely
for the use of the individual, entity, group or list to whom it is addressed,
except if earmarked for widest distribution. In accordance with e.g. Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those
who have expressed a prior interest in receiving such information for research
or educational, personal and non-commercial purposes. Whilst all attempts
have been made to check the sources and references concerning the transmitted
information, the responsibility for the accuracy of all articles rests
with the originators and readers and not with the sender as such. Sources
are given when possible. If a copyright is noted, recipients should seek
permission from the source to reprint this photocopy. Otherwise, please
feel free to distribute without alteration and with all notes. If you have
received this mail in error, please contact the sender, delete the material
immediately from all your systems and do not use or disclose the information
in any way. The contents of this message may contain personal views, which
may not necessarily represent the views of ECOTERRA Intl., unless specifically
stated.
 -------------------------------------------------
 What you always wanted to know - check it out at:
 <<a href="http://www.angelfire.com/mi/smilinks/thirdeye.html">http://www.angelfire.com/mi/smilinks/thirdeye.html</a>>
 -----------------
  </html>

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