International Deep-sea Macrofauna Taxonomy School Commences at CMLRE, Kochi under ISA and MoES Collaboration

The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) in Kochi, operating under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has commenced the five-day 'Deep-sea Macrofauna Taxonomy School: Standardizing Methodologies for Biodiversity Assessments.' Organized under the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in collaboration with CMLRE, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, the initiative trains early-career researchers from ISA Member States within the Indian Ocean Region. The curriculum covers traditional taxonomy, DNA barcoding, Scanning Electron Microscopy, benthic sample collection, and open-access data publishing to strengthen international scientific cooperation and deep-sea environmental governance.