Deep sea and offshore/pelagic habitats

The deep sea habitats of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) are very poorly known, particularly from the perspective of the governments in the region, which have limited capacity to engage in deep sea research or plan for exploitation of resources in this environment in the near future. Nevertheless, there are some emerging exceptions to this which will be presented in this chapter. In view of the paucity of general knowledge on deep sea habitats in the region, this introduction includes information on their basic structure, followed in later sections by a summary of their status, knowledge on their biodiversity, and pressures/trends in the future.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Climate Action

Life Below Water