On July 10, the international standard “Marine Environmental Impact Assessment (MEIA) - Technical Specifications for Marine Biotic Surveys in the International Seabed Area - General Principles” (ISO 2278:2023), prepared by the SIO, was officially released by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This is the first international standard for marine surveys in the international seabed area led by China.

This international standard provides general technical recommendations for marine biotic surveys in the international seabed area, covering almost all biological groups from microorganisms to birds in the international seabed area. It involves the design of survey stations and survey lines, sampling strategies, survey items, survey and analysis equipment, as well as sample preservation and analysis. The release and implementation of this international standard will better guide marine biotic surveys in the international seabed area, facilitate the unification of marine biotic survey methods among international seabed area exploration contractors, improve the comparability of survey data, effectively promote international cooperation on marine biotic surveys in the international seabed area, and boost the survey and protection of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

This international standard was approved in 2019. Based on the Technical Regulations for Baseline Surveys of the Ocean Environment issued by China Ocean Mineral Resources R & D Association and the Draft Recommendations for Guiding Contractors to Assess the Potential Environmental Impact of Submarine Mineral Resources in the Exploration Area issued by International Seabed Authority, and combined with more than 30 years of ocean environmental survey experience and results of the SIO, the standard was prepared under the organization of Researcher Wang Chunsheng and Senior Engineer Zhou Peng from the Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, MNR of the SIO, with the help of ISO Central Secretariat, SC13 Sub-committee and Marine Environmental Impact Assessment Working Group and experts from many countries.