Considerations for data-centric capacity development in support of the clearing-house mechanism of the BBNJ agreement

IntroductionThe effective implementation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) depends on how information related to ocean data and marine genetic resources (MGRs) is collected, shared, and accessed across institutions and jurisdictions. Central to this effort is the Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM), an open digital platform established under the Agreement to facilitate information exchange across its four pillars: MGRs, area-based management tools (including marine protected areas), environmental impact assessments, and capacity-building and transfer of marine technology (CBTMT). However, the design of the CHM presents significant challenges related to governance, technical architecture, financing, reporting functions, and the effective management of MGR-related data. These issues are analogous to those encoun-tered in efforts to establish and operate a Clearing House for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, which covers areas within national jurisdiction.MethodsThis paper examines the data-related challenges that the CHM will need to consider to function effectively, without duplicating existing global efforts. Particular attention is paid to issues of interoperability, data fragmentation, and the movement of MGR-related samples, data, and derived information across jurisdictions, repositories, and stages of utilization. Drawing on the ongoing work of the Data for Ocean Biodiversity Observing Working Group under the Future Ocean Program of the Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute of the World Maritime University (WMU), the paper develops an expert informed conceptual synthesis of the data-centric capacities required to support CHM implementation, with particular attention to notification workflows, provenance metadata, identifier propagation, repository interoperability, and responsible reuse of MGR-related data.Results & DiscussionWe recommend that, as efforts go forward with the design of the CHM, the international community seek to implement similar and interoperable data management and data standardization strategies for the clearing houses of the Nagoya protocol, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and of the Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement. Further, the CBD and the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea should coordinate in engaging the academic, private, and public sectors to increase awareness about rules and treaties that govern the use of genetic resources.