Integrating genetic approaches into sub-Antarctic deep sea research and management
Key Facts
FUNDING SCHEME Darwin Plus
VALUE £278,231
WHERE South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
Summary
South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area is one of the world’s largest protected areas, protecting vast deep-ocean areas that harbour diverse vulnerable marine ecosystems. Understanding if the MPA is a source or sink of juvenile benthic organisms, and its role regionally, is important for conservation management and only possible to groundtruth with genetic approaches. This project investigates deep-sea diversity and the genetic connectivity of habitat-forming organisms within the SGSSI MPA and across the wider South Atlantic region.