Establishment of core technology for the preservation and regeneration of marine biodiversity and ecosystems

Outline

In this research area, we will pursue cutting-edge research and development of observation and monitoring techniques and prediction models in order to advance the understanding of marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Toward this end, our goal is to establish the core technology essential to the conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity and ecosystems.
In recognition of the current bottleneck in research on marine biodiversity and ecosystems, emphasis is placed on techniques for acquiring biological data, including environmental factors, as well as on prediction modeling. This research area is focused on (1) developing broad, continuous sensing and monitoring techniques for marine organisms and biological populations as well as related environmental factors, in order to improve the efficiency of species identification and biomass estimation and to develop cutting-edge techniques for accumulation and integration of basic biological and environmental data through analysis of ecological networks; and (2) developing novel models for understanding spatial and temporal changes in marine ecosystems and biodiversity and for making predictions about these biological systems.
To investigate items (1) and (2), researchers participating in each project must identify marine biological populations and/or biological processes which are the target of the proposed technique or model. In other words, field research and monitoring are required for validating the developed techniques and models; furthermore, close collaboration is necessary across a wide range of research disciplines. This research area, however, does not appreciate only observational investigations or monitoring of marine species and biological populations.
To overcome the traditional limitations on marine research, we strongly recommend collaborative research between researchers engaged in marine biological sciences (such as marine ecology and taxonomy) and researchers from a wide array of disciplines in engineering and life sciences. Through collaborative research with clearly defined targets, this research area can make significant contributions to policymaking for the conservation of marine environments, including the establishment of marine protected areas and sustainable use of marine resource that takes into account of negative effect on marine organism.

Strategic Sector

Creation of basic technologies for understanding marine ecology highly efficiently and forecasting marine life changes to conserve and regenerate the marine biodiversity required for sustainable usage of ocean resources

Research Projects