Marine Benthic Habitats and Their Living Resources: A Conference on Monitoring, Management and Application to Pacific Island Nations

随着世界各地的沿海资源越来越多地受到自然和人为干扰的改变，渔业的减少以及对底栖生物栖息地和生物多样性的不利影响已成为全世界关注的问题。11月10日至16日，来自许多太平洋国家和有关组织的科学家在新喀里多尼亚的努美阿组织了一次会议，讨论利用地球物理和生物采样工具描述海底生物栖息地的最新研究，因为它们与太平洋的海洋生物多样性和渔业问题有关。一个由15名美国研究人员组成的小组，其中包括10名高级研究人员和5名研究生，由于目前的奖励，将能够参加会议。预计出席会议的将包括来自库克群岛、斐济、关岛、基里巴斯、马绍尔群岛和西萨摩亚等太平洋小岛屿国家和领土以及澳大利亚、新西兰、印度尼西亚、马来西亚和美国等较大太平洋国家的许多代表。法国也派遣了一个相当大的特遣队，法国各机构主要参与规划工作，包括法国海洋开发研究所（海洋开发研究所）和法国科学发展与合作研究所（奥斯特罗姆研究所）。Drs。IFREMER的Jean-Marie Auzende和OSTROM的Rene Grandperrin分别帮助策划会议。预计这次会议将为美国科学家在海洋底栖生物栖息地和生物多样性方面进行研究和教育创造更多的机会，并为太平洋岛屿的科学家和官员提供管理其海洋栖息地有用的科学信息。

9731001 Cailliet Declining fisheries and adverse impacts to benthic habitats and biodiversity are a worldwide concern as coastal resources around the world increasingly are being modified by combined natural and human disturbances. Scientists from many Pacific nations and interested organizations have organized a conference to discuss state-of-the-art research using geophysical and biological sampling tools to describe benthic habitats as they relate to marine biodiversity and fisheries issues in the Pacific to take place from November 10-16 in Noumea, New Caledonia. A group of fifteen American researchers, including ten senior investigators and five graduate students will be able to attend the conference as a result of the present award. Attendance is expected to include many representatives from small Pacific island nations and territories such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and Western Samoa, to name a few, as well as from the larger Pacific Nations including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United States. France is also sending a sizable contingent, and French institutions are centrally involved in the planning, including the Institut Francais de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER) and the Institut Francais de Recherche Scientifique pour le Developpment en Cooperation (OSTROM). Drs. Jean-Marie Auzende and Rene Grandperrin of IFREMER and OSTROM respectively are helping to plan the meeting. This conference is expected to create greater opportunities for American scientists to pursue research and education in marine benthic habitats and biodiversity and to provide Pacific island scientists and officials with scientific information useful in managing their marine habitats.