UN atlas of the oceans

The UN Atlas of the Oceans is an Internet portal providing information relevant to the sustainable development of the oceans. It is designed for policy-makers who need to become familiar with ocean issues and for scientists, students and resource managers who need access to databases and approaches to sustainability. The UN Atlas can also provide the ocean industry and stakeholders with pertinent information on ocean matters. The Atlas includes four main entry points to access information: 1. about the oceans - from history, biology, maps and statistics to research, climatology and ecology 2. uses of the oceans - from fishing, shipping and mining to tourism, dumping and marine biotechnology 3. issues - from food security and climate change to governance and human health 4. geography - information categorized by geographical area. The UN Atlas of the Oceans is funded by the United Nations Foundation. In addition, six UN agencies (FAO, IAEA, IMO, UNEP, WMO, UNESCO/IOC) have committed financial resources to the project, joined by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). Development has been under the lead of the FAO Fisheries Department with additional participation from national agencies. Collaborators include the Russian Head Department of Navigation and Oceanography (HDNO), and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which, in addition to a wealth of information, seconded a senior manager to serve as Project Manager and provided him support staff and funding. The Census on Marine Life (CoML) and the National Geographic Society have also agreed to join the Atlas partnership. Cinegram Media Inc., a private publisher, will be producing CD-ROMs and other media in order to reach a wider audience, particularly among the public and educators.