Kingston, 19 March 2026 – As the international community marks Taxonomist Appreciation Day on 19 March, the spotlight turns to a scientific discipline that quietly underpins environmental governance worldwide: taxonomy.
For the International Seabed Authority (ISA), taxonomy is not an abstract academic pursuit. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ISA is responsible for regulating mineral-related activities in the seabed beyond national jurisdiction (the Area) and to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment. That responsibility depends on knowing what species exist, where they occur, and how they function ecologically.
In recent years, collaborations between ISA exploration contractors and scientists have resulted in a threefold increase in the number of new species described in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a region currently explored for mineral resources. Scientists estimate that more than 6,000-8,000 species are found in the region, most of which (88%–92%) are undescribed.
Over 30,800 deep-sea species are currently described and named, according to the World Register of Deep-Sea Species (WoRDSS). This is one of the many thematic registers under the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and is dedicated to species found at depths greater than 500 meters.
Through its Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative (SSKI) and the “One Thousand Reasons” campaign, implemented in collaboration with WoRMS, ISA coordinates efforts in biodiversity research, innovation and capacity-building to support evidence-based decision-making. We spoke with three specialists who explained why naming and documenting species is essential for effectively protecting the deep-sea environment.
Luciana Genio, Environmental Coordinator at the ISA, leads efforts to integrate taxonomic knowledge into environmental management and regulatory decision-making in the international seabed area.
Leen Vandepitte, Coordinator of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), oversees global marine species databases and ensures that taxonomic data are standardized, findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable, serving science, policy, industry and the public at large.
Tobias Musschoot, an Ichthyologist and Data Scientist at VLIZ, combines expertise in fish taxonomy with biodiversity data curation and validation, supporting the integration of species information in global systems such as WoRMS.
Genio, why is taxonomy an important component of ISA’s environmental mandate?
Taxonomy is the foundation of regulatory clarity. Without a standardized taxonomy, baseline surveys, environmental impact assessments (EIAs), and long-term monitoring cannot reliably detect biodiversity loss or ecosystem change. Formal identification and standardized nomenclature ensure that biodiversity can be accurately assessed, monitored and managed.
Taxonomy provides the standardized species names and classifications necessary for comparing datasets across contractors, regions, and time. It also enables the identification of vulnerable and rare species that may require special protection, and biological indicators that allow tracking change over time and assessing potential impacts from human activities with confidence.
In practice, taxonomy transforms biological observations into regulatory evidence, allowing the ISA to translate scientific discovery into enforceable environmental safeguards. Strengthening taxonomy therefore directly turns precaution into evidence-based stewardship, ensuring informed environmental management.
Vandepitte, how does global taxonomic infrastructure support this regulatory process?
Environmental governance depends on consistency. A species described in one study must be identifiable and recognized across institutions and jurisdictions, using its correct name. That is where WoRMS plays a crucial role.
WoRMS is a comprehensive, curated global database of taxonomic information on marine organisms, maintained by 350 voluntary expert editors worldwide. WoRMS is continuously updating and strives to reflect current published scientific knowledge, without making new taxonomic decisions. It makes available nomenclature, documents synonyms as well as related ecological information and ensures that each marine species has a unique and accepted scientific name.
In July 2023, ISA and WoRMS released the first comprehensive species checklist for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) under SSKI. This dynamic register compiles validated taxonomic and geolocation data in a FAIR-compliant format: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.
The checklist provides a harmonized reference tool for contractors, scientists and regulators, ensuring comparability across contractors and surveys. This is essential for informing spatial planning, cumulative impact assessment, and conservation measures.
Interoperable digital databases, together with expert taxonomists, curated collections in museums, and standardized nomenclatural codes form a global taxonomic infrastructure that allows ISA to rely on consistent, credible biodiversity information.
Equally important, this global infrastructure supports capacity building by connecting scientists from developing states to international expertise and data resources. This aligns with ISA’s mandate to promote equitable participation in marine science.
By anchoring regulatory decisions in globally recognized taxonomic systems, ISA ensures that environmental management is transparent, defensible, and aligned with best available science.
Musschoot, how does WoRMS balance scientific rigour with the need to accelerate species description?
WoRMS acts as a quality-controlled taxonomic backbone rather than replacing formal species description processes. All names in WoRMS are based on peer reviewed literature and validated by expert editors, ensuring scientific credibility. At the same time, WoRMS accelerates regulatory usability by rapidly integrating newly published species into an accessible, standardized database available to everybody, including regulators, researchers, and industry.
With rapid development of smart technologies using environmental DNA and image annotations, integrated taxonomic, geographic and genetic data is essential to ensure accurate and reliable biodiversity information for assessing and monitoring deep-sea biodiversity.
Collaborative initiatives such as the SSKI streamline coordination among experts, reduce duplication of effort, and build capacity across the deep-sea community through shared standards and training. By integrating with WoRMS and the ISA DeepData database, they enable newly described species to be rapidly incorporated into a global, accessible taxonomic infrastructure. This accelerates the uptake of biodiversity knowledge in research and regulation, while maintaining scientific rigour through formal description and expert validation.
Genio, what is the strategic significance of the “One Thousand Reasons” campaign?
The “One Thousand Reasons” campaign first launched on 22 May 2023 under SSKI, reflects ISA’s commitment to leaving a lasting legacy in deep-ocean science. It aims at formally identifying and describing at least 1,000 species new to science in areas beyond national jurisdiction by 2030.
Selected projects receive financial support to ensure that new species descriptions are published in open-access journals and integrated into ISA’s DeepData platform and WoRMS. Importantly, the campaign prioritizes participation from developing States, reinforcing ISA’s mandate to promote marine scientific research in the Area for the benefit of humankind as a whole.
The first cohort of the One Thousand Reasons campaign described 90 new deep-sea species across deep-sea ecosystems, ranging from sharks to minute, often neglected mud dragons (Kinorhyncha) in hadal trenches. In 2025, six new projects were awarded to scientists from Brazil, China, Chile and India aiming to describe nearly 100 new deep-sea species by the end of 2026.
The campaign is not just about identifying as many species as possible in the deep-sea. By highlighting “one thousand reasons” to name, describe and understand the ecological role and distribution of deep-sea species, the campaign communicates the societal, regulatory, and ethical importance of taxonomy to policymakers, funders, and the public.
Strategically, the campaign builds a shared narrative that links discovery, data infrastructure, and regulation. It encourages collaboration across institutions and regions while strengthening the legitimacy of investments in taxonomy as essential infrastructure for responsible ocean stewardship.
The campaign also aligns taxonomy with global agendas, including the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, supporting biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and equitable access to marine science.
Looking towards 2030, what does success look like for ISA and WoRM’s taxonomic efforts?
Dr. Luciana Genio:
Success means that taxonomic data, skills and technologies are accessible worldwide. New generations of taxonomists advance the knowledge base and innovate methodologies to inform management policies, contributing towards an environmentally responsible development of deep-sea resources.
Leen Vandepitte:
It means that taxonomic data are fully interoperable, accessible and globally curated. With WoRMS now covering 249,750 marine species and growing by on average more than 2,000 new species per year since 2018, all researchers, regulators and contractors can rely on a coherent, dynamic database to make scientifically informed decisions.
Tobias Musschoot:
For me, success is when life in the abyss is no longer anonymous, with species knowledge not only generated but widely usable and used, supported by strong capacity, collaboration, and inclusive participation. In this way, taxonomy becomes a living infrastructure that enables better monitoring and contributes to the protection of deep-sea ecosystems.
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About ISA
ISA is an autonomous intergovernmental organization mandated by the UNCLOS to manage the mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction for the shared benefit of humankind. ISA is committed to ensuring that all economic activities in the deep seabed, including mining, are regulated and responsibly managed using the best available scientific evidence for the benefit of all humankind.
About the “One Thousand Reasons” Campaign
Launched by the ISA under SSKI, it is a global effort to describe at least 1,000 new deep-sea species by 2030. The campaign promotes international collaboration, particularly engaging scientists from developing States, and integrates species descriptions into open-access databases to support sustainable management of the international seabed area.
SSKI is a multi-donor, flagship initiative under the ISA’s Marine Scientific Research Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Decade of Ocean Science. The Initiative has received significant financial support from the European Union, the Republic of Korea, France, Ireland, China, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), Portugal and India.
About the World Register of Marine Species
WoRMS is an authoritative global database providing comprehensive, curated taxonomic information on marine organisms. Managed by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and supported by a network of over 350 taxonomic editors worldwide, WoRMS ensures that species names are accurate, standardized and interoperable. WoRMS facilitates the integration of biodiversity data from research initiatives, including the ISA’s SSKI, enabling scientists, regulators and policymakers to access reliable species-level information that supports environmental assessments, monitoring and stewardship of the oceans.
Each year, on Taxonomist Appreciation Day, WoRMS celebrates the Top-Ten Marine Species, highlighting the most fascinating discoveries from the world’s oceans. This year one of the top ten species is Eunice siphoninsidiator, also known as the sponge ambusher worm, which was described by the One Thousand Reasons project led by Yadong Zhou, from China Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources Hangzhou China. This species was discovered from the slopes of underwater mountains in the northwest Pacific Ocean, at depths of approximately 1,000 meters.
For media inquiries, please contact:
ISA Communications Unit, news@isa.org.jm
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