To meet the challenges of marine conservation, the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) was established at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO)in May 2001. Goals of CMBC are: Investigation: Assess the state of marine ecosystems now and in the past and develop predictive models for the future, Education: Train new marine biodiversity and conservation scientists in the United States and around the world, Integration: Develop novel interdisciplinary approaches linking the biological, physical, social and informatic sciences, Communication: Increase public understanding of scientific issues and provide sound scientific analyses to policy makers, Application: Design technically sophisticated, regionally appropriate strategies to prevent and reverse biodiversity collapse. At the simplest level, biodiversity is defined by the number and abundance of species in a given place. True biodiversity encompasses many levels ranging from genes to ecosystems. Although 70% of the surface of the planet is covered by oceans, marine organisms and ecosystems are far less well known than their terrestrial counterparts. Scientists estimate that there may be millions of unknown species in the oceans and they are just beginning to grasp the complex ways in which living organisms interact with one another, their environments, and with humans. These organisms provide many valuable services to mankind - food, recreation and pharmaceuticals to name just a few.