A Statement from POGO:
On 7 June 2025, members of POGO, a global consortium of nearly 60 oceanographic research institutions, will convene in Nice, to discuss the urgent need for sustainably-funded, globally-distributed and well-coordinated ocean observations.
Building the global ocean observing system began more than two decades ago and important advances have been made, particularly in the realm of physical (climate-related) ocean observations. Disappointingly, biological and chemical observations are still lagging behind their physical counterparts: The observing system falls far short of what is needed.
Such observations are critical to achieving SDG14 and to measuring progress against the ambitions set out by the UNFCCC/ Paris Agreement, CBD/ Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the new BBNJ Agreement, and other conventions and protocols being developed and implemented for the protection of our ocean.
Without sustained ocean monitoring we cannot predict the pace or scale of future warming and assess the efficacy of emissions reductions or evaluate the feasibility of carbon removal methods. These data will be critical in designing effective and achievable Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as well as informing National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) that protect and support communities, marine life, and infrastructure from the growing risk of climate change.
To meet the biodiversity goals outlined in the KMGBF and the 2030 Targets, we must place ocean observations – particularly sustained, globally-coordinated biological observations – at the forefront of our efforts. The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) recommendations stress that an improved understanding of ecosystem functioning, achieved through sustained ocean observations, is fundamental to conserving marine and coastal biodiversity.
The UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) Declaration rightly draws attention to the full range of ocean pressures (climate change, biodiversity loss, marine pollution, eutrophication, deoxygenation, ocean acidification) and the legal instruments that are being deployed to address these. But highlighting problems and crafting legal solutions is only the beginning. The success of these instruments hinges on our ability to track the state of the ocean and detect changes over time. Alarmingly, there is still very limited data and understanding, particularly for marine biodiversity, pollution and its impacts on ecosystems, and the effects of multiple stressors. In some parts of the world, even data on essential physical parameters are seriously lacking.
The UNOC Declaration also calls for sustainable management of coastal and ocean resources, including fisheries and deep-sea ecosystems. It focuses on coastal hazards, such as sea-level rise and disaster-risk reduction. These priorities all depend on sustained ocean observations that can guide science-based policies, track human impacts on marine life (including fish stocks), and inform early-warning systems to protect lives and livelihoods.
Meeting these urgent needs demands financial commitments to implement, coordinate, and develop capacity for ocean observations, data management, and streamlining of data products for informed decision-making. Observations require strong international partnerships that invest in sustaining existing systems and adding new systems where they do not currently exist, and for biological variables that are not yet been measured.
Ocean observations are not optional. They are the backbone of evidence-based action on climate, biodiversity, disaster resilience, and ultimately sustainable development. The time to invest in these is now, so that no part of the global ocean, or the communities that depend on it, are left behind.
This statement was prepared by the POGO Advocacy WG and issued by the Board of Trustees, on behalf of POGO.
Advocacy Working Group Members:
Margaret Leinen (Scripps) (co-chair)
Katja Matthes (GEOMAR) (co-chair)
Francisco Arias (INVEMAR)
François Houllier (IFREMER)
Takeshi Kawano (JAMSTEC)
Fangli Qiao (FIO)
Kilaparti Ramakrishna (WHOI)
John Siddorn (NOC)
Board of Trustees:
Francisco Arias (INVEMAR) (Chair)
Fei Chai (Xiamen University)
Francisco Chavez (MBARI)
Carmen Paniagua (CICESE)
Olivier Pringault (IRD)
Aileen Tan Shau Hwai (CEMACS)
Yara Rodrigues (IMar)
Anya Waite (OFI)
SIGNATORIES
POGO Members representing their institutions
Margaret Leinen, Director
Scripps Institutions of Oceanography, USA
Katja Matthes, Director
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany
John Siddorn, Chief Executive
National Oceanography Centre, UK
Nicholas J P Owens, Executive Director
Scottish Association for Marine Science, UK
Willie Wilson, Chief Executive
Marine Biological Association, UK
Tamaryn Morris, Ocean and Polar Coordinator
South African Environmental Observation Network, South Africa
Kate Moran, President and CEO
Ocean Networks Canada, Canada
Marco Marcelli, POGO delegate
Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), Italy
Camila Fernández, Director, Centro Oceanografico COPAS Coastal, UdeC
Representative of Chilean Consortium to POGO, Chile
Icarus Allen, Chief Executive
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK
Takeshi Kawano, Executive Director
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan
Fei Chai, Chair Professor
State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science (MEL), Xiamen University, China
Dr. Anya Waite, Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Director
Ocean Frontier Institute, Canada
Subrata Sarker, Associate Professor and Head, Dept of Oceanography
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Bangladesh
Olivier Pringault, Scientific Director of the Ocean Department
Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD), France
Aileen Tan Shau Hwai, Director
Centre For Marine & Coastal Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Antje Boetius, President & CEO
Francisco Chavez, Senior Scientist
MBARI, USA
Dr Yara Rodrigues, Executive Member, Directive Board
Instituto do Mar I. P. (IMar), Cabo Verde
Representatives of other parties & organisations
Osvaldo Ulloa, Director
Renato Quiñones,
Oscar Pizarro,
Camila Fernández
Instituto Oceanos Universidad de Concepción Chile
Anne-Sophie Ste-Marie, Director – Coordination Office
Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System, Canada
Individual signatories (not representing their institutions)
Prof. Dr. Edmo J. D. Campos, Professor Emeritus
Oceanographic Institute – University of São Paulo, Brazil
Prof Howard Roe
Former Director, Southampton Oceanography Centre, and Former Chair, POGO
Prof Elva Escobar
ICML UNAM, Mexico
Prof Camila Domit
Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil
