Description: In order to help safeguard biodiversity from global changes, the Conference of the Parties developed a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for the period 2011–2020 that included a list of twenty specific objectives known as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. With the end of that timeframe in sight, and despite major advancements in biodiversity conservation, evidence suggests that the majority of the Targets are unlikely to be met. This article is part of a series of perspective pieces from the 4th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (May 2018, Montréal, Canada) to identify next steps towards successful biodiversity conservation in marine environments. We specifically reviewed holistic environmental assessment studies (HEA) and their contribution to reaching the Targets. Our analysis was based on multiple environmental approaches which can be considered as holistic, and we discuss how HEA can contribute to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in the near future. We found that only a few HEA articles considered a specific Biodiversity Target in their research, and that Target 11, which focuses on marine protected areas, was the most commonly cited. We propose five research priorities to enhance HEA for marine biodiversity conservation beyond 2020: (i) expand the use of holistic approaches in environmental assessments, (ii) standardize HEA vocabulary, (iii) enhance data collection, sharing and management, (iv) consider ecosystem spatio-temporal variability and (v) integrate ecosystem services in HEA. The consideration of these priorities will promote the value of HEA and will benefit the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity.

Description: Fundamental changes in seawater carbonate chemistry and sea surface temperatures associated with the ocean uptake of anthropogenic CO2 are accelerating, but investigations of the susceptibility of biogeochemical processes to the simultaneous occurrence of multiple components of climate change are uncommon. Here, we quantify how concurrent changes in enhanced temperature and atmospheric pCO2, coupled with an associated shift in macrofaunal community structure and behavior (sediment particle reworking and bioirrigation), modify net carbon and nutrient concentrations (NH4-N, NOx-N, PO4-P) in representative shelf sea sediment habitats (mud, sandy-mud, muddy-sand and sand) of the Celtic Sea. We show that net concentrations of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphate are, irrespective of sediment type, largely unaffected by a simultaneous increase in temperature and atmospheric pCO2. However, our analyses also reveal that a reduction in macrofaunal species richness and total abundance occurs under future environmental conditions, varies across a gradient of cohesive to non-cohesive sediments, and negatively moderates biogeochemical processes, in particular nitrification. Our findings indicate that future environmental conditions are unlikely to have strong direct effects on biogeochemical processes but, particularly in muddy sands, the abundance, activity, composition and functional role of invertebrate communities are likely to be altered in ways that will be sufficient to regulate the function of the microbial community and the availability of nutrients in shelf sea waters.

Description: A comprehensive georeferenced database of measured values of Ba/Ca in coral and coralline algae compiled from the scientific literature (1950-2021; http://www.webofknowledge.com, accessed 2022-09-30).

Description: Culturing experiments were performed on sediment samples from the Ythan Estuary, N. E. Scotland, to assess the impacts of ocean acidification on test surface ornamentation in the benthic foraminifer Haynesina germanica. Specimens were cultured for 36 weeks at either 380, 750 or 1000 ppm atmospheric CO2. Analysis of the test surface using SEM imaging reveals sensitivity of functionally important ornamentation associated with feeding to changing seawater CO2 levels. Specimens incubated at high CO2 levels displayed evidence of shell dissolution, a significant reduction and deformation of ornamentation. It is clear that these calcifying organisms are likely to be vulnerable to ocean acidification. A reduction in functionally important ornamentation could lead to a reduction in feeding efficiency with consequent impacts on this organism's survival and fitness.

Description: Calcifying marine organisms provide a valuable means to access high-resolution historical records of the marine environment captured within their skeletal geochemistry. These records are essential for comprehending the effects of human-induced climate change and reducing uncertainties in future projections. Integrating investigations across various taxa, depths, and geographic locations can help identify universal environmental proxies and serve as a basis for targeted studies in the future. Here, we provide a comprehensive georeferenced database of measured values of Li/Mg, Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, U/Ca and Sr-U in coral and coralline algae compiled from the scientific literature (1950-2021; http://www.webofknowledge.com, accessed 2022-09-30) for the purpose of interrogating and refining global, mineralogy specific and/or taxon-specific proxies for seawater temperature and barium. We include metadata relating to the source, timing and location of each study, the methodology used, and environmental and experimental information. The dataset presents an opportunity to quantify uncertainty and test the robustness of trace and minor element proxies for past environmental conditions, of which will be of value within the fields of geochemistry, ecology, climate, and palaeobiology. Full methodology and additional information provided in Williams et al. (2024).

Description: A comprehensive georeferenced database of measured values of Li/Mg, Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, U/Ca and Sr-U in coral and coralline algae compiled from the scientific literature (1950-2021; http://www.webofknowledge.com, accessed 2022-09-30).