In January 1998, more than 1,600 scientists worldwide declared together that the world's ocean is threatened. Pressures on fisheries, coral reefs and other marine resources are becoming recognized as serious environmental threats. These threats are compounded by our relative lack of understanding about the extent and variety of marine species.

Marine biodiversity is a critical component of ecosystem function, global balance and ultimately, human existence. Because of the inaccessibility and vastness of the world's oceans, our description of marine biodiversity is even more limited than our description of terrestrial diversity, even though we know that more phyla, and hence greater diversity, exist in the marine environment than in the terrestrial. From coral reefs, many of which are threatened by human activity, to the less altered deep sea, a description of marine biodiversity and understanding of ecosystem function within habitats is limited. There is a need to document marine biodiversity globally and enhance taxonomic expertise and our understanding of temporal and spatial ecosystem function within specific regions of the world. Developing taxonomic expertise and reference collections in regional centers will be key to supporting on-going and future research programs into ecosystem interactions and the processes that control regional and local biodiversity. This ultimately leads to an integrated approach focusing on entire ecosystems rather than fragments within a system.

Within the last several years, following the surge in concern over the loss of terrestrial biodiversity, an increased awareness of the importance of studying and maintaining marine biodiversity has developed. There are warning signs everywhere of the demise in the health of the world's oceans and the loss of species. These include an increase in toxic algae blooms; closure of fishing areas once thought limitless because of over fishing; increased coastal development resulting in a decrease in species diversity; an increase in chemical pollution; and sedimentation that threatens both temperate regions and coral reefs throughout the world.