The DEEPEND project team will be hosting a stakeholder engagement workshop following the High Seas Treaty Symposium on 8th October.

The DEEPEND project is focussed on studying the societal value of biodiversity in the deep sea, and from this to assess the consequences that resource extraction of minerals such as cobalt and nickel might have. This work involves the study of marine genetic resources, microbiology, marine invertebrates, metabolomics and genomics from a range of deep-sea sites globally alongside Pacific-wide capacity-building initiatives.

The workshop will be an opportunity to hear about the latest scientific results and work to date as well as encourage collaboration amongst stakeholders. This research applies directly to BBNJ, so we invite anyone who is interested in, and engaging with, BBNJ discussions to attend.

The workshop session invited speakers and panel chairs will include:

• Janine Coye-Felson, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Belize to the United Nations

• Harriet Harden-Davies, Director of the Nippon Foundation-University of Edinburgh Ocean Voices Programme

• Katy Soapi, Coordinator for the Pacific Community Centre for Ocean Science

• Marcel Jaspars, Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Aberdeen

When registering please do let us know any key topics that you would be particularly interested in hearing about during the discussion sessions of the workshop and we will look to prioritise those that are most popular. Please also let us know of any dietary requirements, as lunch, tea and coffee will be provided.

Contact deependworkshop@gmail.com for more information, and find out more about the project here.

Deep-Ocean Resources and Biodiscovery (DEEPEND) Workshop