On the occasion of the ocean summit organized in Brest until Friday, Unesco undertook this Thursday to map at least 80% of the seabed by 2030. “Only 20% of the seabed is mapped.
We must go further and mobilize the international community so that at least 80% of the seabed will be mapped by 2030”, announced in a press release Audrey Azoulay, the director general of the United Nations organization for education, science and culture.
To achieve this objective, which will cost five billion euros, three axes are envisaged: the mobilization of a fleet of 50 ships dedicated to the mapping of the seabed, the intensification of the use of sonar on autonomous ships and the transmission by the governments and companies from the cartographic data they have.
"Knowing the depth and relief of the seabed is essential to understand the location of ocean faults, the functioning of ocean currents and tides, such as that of sediment transport", underlines Unesco.
“These data help protect populations”
"These data contribute to protecting populations by anticipating seismic risks and tsunamis, to identifying natural sites that should be safeguarded, to identifying fishery resources for sustainable exploitation, to planning the construction of offshore infrastructure, or even respond effectively to disasters such as oil spills, air accidents or shipwrecks,” adds the agency, for whom this knowledge also plays a major role in assessing the future effects of climate change.
UNESCO also announced on Thursday that it is setting itself the goal of having ocean education included in the school curricula of its 193 member states by 2025. To achieve this, the agency will provide public decision-makers with a common repository of educational content.
Fifteen Heads of State and Government are also expected in Brest on Friday on the last day of the "One Ocean Summit", which aims to advance several key issues around the safety of fishing vessels, marine protected areas or a possible international treaty on the high seas, outside national jurisdictions.