Unofficial reports

This report reveals recent discoveries about the beauty, value and vulnerability of life in the deep seas and in the open ocean. It explores what these astonishing findings mean for current oceans governance, what the impacts are of present and potential human activities, and what can be done to promote effective and sustainable management of the riches of the deep and open oceans.

Water is both the most ordinary and extraordinary of resources; without it, nothing can survive. Yet, 1,1 billion people around the world do not have ready access to clean water and more than 2,6 billion people lack basic sanitation. If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water, which is about nothing less than our planet's future.

It is widely acknowledged that Nepal is one of the rich biological treasure chests of South Asia. There are several "hotspots" of biodiversity - areas of high species richness and species diversity, as well as high levels of rare, endangered and endemic species of plants and animals. Efforts towards developing sustainability generally demand an in-depth understanding of the diverse life-forms in nature and their inter-dependence for survival and growth.