Rahul NairCentral Indian OceanReportingExample project

Abyssal Plain Biodiversity Survey

Deep-ocean eDNA and imaging survey mapping biodiversity ahead of any seabed activity.

Discovery & Scientific ExplorationeDNADeep SeaBiodiversity

About this project

This proposal describes a scientifically strong baseline biodiversity survey using deep-ocean eDNA and imaging, which are well-suited to produce high-quality, digitally verifiable biodiversity records prior to seabed activity. The score reflects strong methodological potential but some gaps in the submission around protocols, governance, community engagement and explicit open-data commitments that should be closed to maximize integrity and downstream dMRV value.

AI summary by the Ozeaon Climate Intelligence System

Why this integrity score?

The OCIS Integrity Report below explains the reasoning behind the headline score — dimension by dimension — and is readable in full here.

Score Reasoning — Dimensions

The headline score is a weighted sum of six integrity dimensions assessed by the Ozeaon Climate Intelligence System.

Scientific Rigor20% weight
90
Methods (eDNA + imaging) are state-of-the-art for deep-sea biodiversity mapping and align with peer-reviewed approaches, although detailed protocols, sampling design and QA/QC are not provided in the brief.
Open Science15% weight
85
Data types produced are intrinsically shareable (sequence reads, images, metadata), but the proposal does not specify repositories, licenses, or reproducible pipelines—indicating strong potential but incomplete commitments.
Measurability (dMRV)20% weight
88
eDNA and high-resolution imaging generate digital, time-stamped, georeferenced data suitable for repeatable dMRV; however, lack of explicit QA/QC, baselines, metrics and change-detection protocols is a gap.
Additionality & Impact15% weight
78
Providing pre-activity biodiversity baselines is valuable and likely additional to business-as-usual, but the proposal lacks explicit statements on how results will prevent harm, change decisions, or be integrated into impact mitigation.
Transparency & Governance15% weight
78
Project intent is clear, but the submission omits governance structure, funding flows, data ownership and access rules—reducing accountability and traceability.
Community & Equity15% weight
70
No information on local stakeholder engagement, benefit-sharing, or social safeguards; deep-ocean work often implicates coastal communities and Indigenous knowledge that should be acknowledged and integrated.

Strengths

Use of complementary, high-resolution methods (eDNA + imaging) that produce digitally verifiable biodiversity records.
Clear, focused objective: baseline mapping ahead of seabed activities—a demonstrably high-impact use case for informing permitting and mitigation.
Data types produced (sequence reads, images, georeferenced metadata) are amenable to open repositories and automated analysis pipelines.

Risks & Gaps

Absence of explicit sampling protocols, QA/QC and analytical pipelines risks non-reproducible results and weak comparability between surveys.
No stated data management plan, repository commitments, or licensing could prevent open access and limit cumulative scientific value.
Lack of governance and stakeholder engagement details risks governance disputes, missed opportunities for co-benefit, or failure to influence decision-making.

dMRV Recommendation

Tier

Tier 2 — Standardized dMRV

Cadence

Baseline (pre-activity) survey, followed by repeat surveys at least annually for 3–5 years and event-triggered monitoring after any seabed disturbance; publish interim reports after each campaign and a consolidated open dataset at project milestones.

Recommended

Yes

eDNA and imaging generate digital, georeferenced data streams that are directly amenable to automated dMRV pipelines. A Tier 2 (standardized) approach requires documented SOPs, QA/QC, and open deposition so that biodiversity baselines and subsequent change can be reproducibly detected and independently verified. The proposed cadence (baseline + multi-year repeats + event-triggered surveys) balances practical costs with the temporal resolution needed to detect impact and support regulatory decisions.

eDNA metabarcoding (amplicon-based; specified primer sets and workflows) with negative/positive controls and mock communitiesHigh-resolution imaging (ROV/AUV transects with scaling lasers and annotated image catalogs)Hydrographic and environmental sensors (CTD, current profilers) to contextualize eDNA transport and habitat featuresAcoustic mapping (multibeam bathymetry, backscatter) to map seafloor habitat structure

About this project

Generating OCIS summary & integrity report…