Welcome to the homepage of the BEnToolsMaPs joint project

The biodiversity and ecosystem services of the oceans are essential resources for our planet. The Southern Ocean in particular is under increasing pressure due to climate change. International efforts are aimed at sustainably managing and protecting this unique ecosystem, especially from pressures such as fishing.

The Weddell Sea, part of the Southern Ocean, has been little researched to date, especially with regard to the role of smaller organisms on the seabed (benthic meiofauna and macrofauna) in providing ecosystem services. However, this knowledge is crucial for the planning and establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs).

The BEnToolsMaPs project works within the framework of the Biodiversity of the Blue Ocean stakeholder dialogue and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The aim is to combine knowledge about biodiversity and the carbon cycle with spatial modeling to create maps of ecosystem characteristics in targeted shelf and slope areas of the Weddell Sea for the needs of CCAMLR.

The second major meeting of all BBO-affiliated projects took place from March 18 to 20, 2025, in the form of a dialogue forum in Bremen at the House of Sciences. Dr. Christopher Gebhardt presented the forum with initial findings on bioturbation in the Weddell Sea.