Establishing a Weddell Sea observatory: The WOBEC initiative for long-term monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem change

The purpose of this paper is to update CCAMLR about the Weddell Sea Observatory of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Change (WOBEC) project. WOBEC aims to establish a systematic ecosystem monitoring framework in the eastern Weddell Sea that can be used to measure biodiversity and ecosystem change. The WOBEC study area covers parts of the proposed Weddell Sea Marine Protected Area (WSMPA) Phases 1 and 2, so an observatory established here in the future could be an integral part of the WSMPA Research and Monitoring Plans. WOBEC will be developed in close co-operation with CCAMLR and its various stakeholders, as well as with other monitoring initiatives in the Southern Ocean and beyond, to ensure the best possible integration of results based on broad acceptance.