Affiliated Projects
Current Affiliated Projects
Gulf of Mexico Biodiversity Project (GoMx)
John W. Tunnell, Jr. (Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, USA), Darryl L. Felder (University of Louisiana-Layfayette, USA)
Great Barrier Reef Seabed Biodiversity Project
Roland Pitcher (CSIRO Marine Research, Australia)
The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN)
Ron O’Dor (Dalhousie University, Canada)
The Census of Marine Life seeks the affiliation of ongoing projects in marine biodiversity to help it meet its goal to construct a representative picture of global marine biodiversity by 2010. The affiliation of projects increases our capacity for sampling coverage and helps the CoML National and Regional Implementation Committees (NRICs) address science priorities in their nations and regions that may not be addressed by one of the 14 global CoML Ocean Realm Field Projects. The affiliated project benefits from the recognition that it is part of a larger program that brings access to information, other scientists and organizations, and a larger global context. Benefits include:
- Opportunities to leverage funding and shiptime
- Access to scientific expertise and information
- Access to technologies and software developed by CoML and Affiliated Projects
- Increased visibility through website links and other communications
- Facilitation of access to the Consortium for the Barcode of Life and its facilities for barcoding of marine samples
Criteria for Affiliation
A project may be affiliated with the Census of Marine Life program if it:
1. Meets a number of the criteria for CoML Affiliated Projects (Table 1). Appropriate affiliated projects will meet many of them but it is unlikely that a project will meet all criteria.
2. Falls within the scope of a CoML NRIC
3. Does not fit within the context of an existing global CoML global Ocean Realm Field Project (Note: if it does fit with an Ocean Realm Field Project, then partnership with that project would be a better option for participation in the Census of Marine Life)
4. Is synoptic or integrative in scope or approach
5. Successfully completes the endorsement and approval process
For the full details and obligations of Affiliation to CoML, please review the Agreement for Affiliation. If you are interested in Affiliation, as per the Agreement, please submit the Application for Affiliation to the appropriate National or Regional Implementation Committee (list of committee contacts included at the end of the Agreement for Affiliation).
