Global open oceans and deep seabed (GOODS) biogeographic classification

This report presents a biogeographic classification for global open ocean and deep sea areas (GOODS). It has been compiled by an international expert group initiated at a workshop held in Mexico City, Mexico, in January 2007, and is based on the input of many scientists and managers. It has been made available to meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (the UN Working Group). This classification covers open oceans and deep seabed with an emphasis on areas beyond national jurisdiction. Open ocean and deep seabed are non-legal terms commonly understood by scientists to refer to the water column and seabed beyond the continental shelf.