During the last week of the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 9), hosted this time by Germany in Bonn, members of the German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research prominently represented the German Consortium of Marine Research (KDM) on the Plaza of Diversity. Thus CeDAMar and the study of abyssal plains were presented to a broad audience, including many delegates of the Conference who relaxed here between sessions.

The information booth, located in one of about 200 tents on a lawn area near the conference venue, was well frequented during the entire time from 27 to 30 May between ten o’clock in the morning until eight o’clock in the evening. Three to four people were always manning the booth, busying themselves nearly all the time explaining marine research and marine life to an audience spanning easily three generations.

People’s curiosity was raised by seashells that could be touched and even live plankton from the Jade estuary (North Sea) to be watched through the microscope.Postcards with photographs, fliers, small printouts of posters and, last not least, chocolates with the CeDAMar logo, found their way into countless purses and plastic bags, leaving us with the hope that the protection of marine areas would become the focus of attention not only among the delegates of COP 9.