AtlantECO Policy Brief - The Ocean Microbiome Genetic Resource: Shared capacity and equitable access for the benefit of One Ocean, One Health

This policy brief highlights the strategic importance of the Ocean microbiome genetic resource within the interconnected frameworks of One Ocean and One Health, recognising that ocean ecosystem health, climate regulation, biodiversity, and human wellbeing are deeply interdependent. Marine microorganisms underpin global biogeochemical cycles, support marine food webs and fisheries, and provide vast genetic diversity with major potential for innovation in biotechnology, healthcare, environmental remediation, aquaculture, and climate mitigation. As such, the Ocean microbiome represents both a critical scientific frontier and a major socio-economic opportunity. The brief emphasises that Digital Sequence Information (DSI) derived from marine genetic resources circulates globally, creating governance challenges for existing Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) frameworks under the CBD and the emerging BBNJ Agreement. Because the ocean spans Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), and because DSI can move independently of physical samples, ensuring transparency, traceability, and equitable benefit-sharing is complex. Jurisdictional fragmentation, incomplete metadata standards, and limited interoperability across databases further complicate monitoring and reporting. Analysis of international sequence databases reveals significant geographic imbalances: the majority of Ocean microbiome samples originate from the Northern Hemisphere and from EEZs, while access to these resources is overwhelmingly dominated by countries in the Global North. These disparities highlight capacity gaps between regions and reinforce concerns about equity in the digital age. The brief calls for strengthened monitoring and reporting protocols for DSI, including mandatory and harmonised metadata standards, coordinated integration of access metrics across major data platforms, and improved interoperability among diverse data repositories. It further supports governance approaches that balance open science with fair and equitable benefit-sharing, alongside targeted capacity-building to ensure broader global participation. By aligning science, policy, and equity, the Ocean microbiome genetic resource can be governed in a way that advances sustainable development, strengthens the blue economy, and delivers on the principles of One Ocean, One Health.