Australia’s National Science Agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), in collaboration with the IORA Secretariat and the Australian Government Departments of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water and foreign affairs and trade, will organize a series of workshops (two virtual and one in-person) with nominated participants from IORA Member States and dialogue partners to refine a new bioregionalization for the Indian Ocean, leveraging the expertise and IORA knowledge on the biodiversity of the Indian Ocean.
The Secretariat wishes to inform the IORA Member States and Dialogue Partners that the first virtual workshop will be held on 16 – 17 January 2024 at UTC 7:00, Johannesburg 9:00, Sydney 18:00, GMT+7:00. The Secretariat will circulate the updated programme of the first virtual workshop upon receipt. (Check below)
The workshop cycle aims to:
- Review and refine the CSIRO draft bioregionalization for the Indian Ocean to ensure it represents the expertise of IORA Member State representatives and dialogue partners;
- Adopt a workshop report with a bioregionalization proposal for the Indian Ocean;
- Discuss how this bioregionalization can be used to identify and prioritize candidate areas for future protection in areas outside national jurisdiction, including identifying additional information that may be needed to support future proposals;
IORA Member States and dialogue partners could nominate their webinar participants by 9 January 2024. Nominated participants are required to register online.
The Secretariat wishes to inform the esteemed Ministry that the above-mentioned workshop has been postponed to 22-23 January 24 at UTC 7:00, Johannesburg 9:00, Sydney 18:00, GMT+7:00.