What is the first image that comes to your mind when asked about the lungs of the planet? Forests? Nope – think blue… something that covers 70% of the planet: the ocean! Oceans are a major carbon storage system for carbon dioxide (CO2), absorb about 30% of CO2 produced by human activities, and release at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen in the atmosphere.
The ocean is home to most of Earth’s biodiversity. However, human activities are threatening fragile marine ecosystems. Threats to oceans include climate change, which is making oceans hotter and more acidic, pollution (in particular plastic pollution), and overfishing. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities are responsible for the loss of up to 26 million tons of fish each year, which is estimated to have an economic value of USD $10-23 billion.
From widely beloved marine species such as coral reefs, tuna, dolphins, and sharks, to less well-known species such as sea cucumbers and guitarfish, every species has a role to play in keeping our oceans healthy, just as the ocean plays a role in the health of the entire planet by mitigating the impact of global warming. But, these species are now at risk.
Explore Threatened West African Marine and Fresh Water Species
This World Oceans Day, which focuses on “The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods,” is an occasion to reflect upon the critical role played by oceans and the urgent need for us to halt and reverse the decline in precious marine resources. According to the United Nations, “to protect and preserve the ocean and all it sustains, we must create a new balance, rooted in true understanding of the ocean and how humanity relates to it. We must build a connection to the ocean that is inclusive, innovative, and informed by lessons from the past.”
At Born Free USA, promoting the conservation of marine resources is an important part of our activities.
Born Free USA has been supporting campaigns to end the practice of shark finning, which is estimated to cost the lives of as many as 80 million sharks each year and which results in devastating disruption of marine ecosystems as well as animal suffering on a massive scale. We have also been working with enforcement authorities across West Africa in order to tackle wildlife crime, work that includes training on identification of sharks and rays, and building capacity to tackle illegal fishing and the associated trafficking of marine products. The benefits of this vital work are already being seen in Ivory Coast and Benin.
Protecting marine resources is also a priority for food security and livelihoods. The United Nations estimates that oceans are the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world and that 40 million people will rely on ocean-based industries for employment by 2030.
To halt and reverse the overexploitation of marine species, and the associated loss of biodiversity, it is important to provide alternative livelihoods and food sources for those who currently rely on the exploitation of wild animals and plants for their survival.
This is a key priority of our Global Nature Recovery Investment Initiative (GNRII), a campaign to secure large-scale financial investment in nature recovery, launched by Born Free USA in 2020.
The GNRII seeks opportunities to mainstream biodiversity protection and animal welfare across all sectors and government departments, and to reform and realign the way it is financed by embedding finance and investment mechanisms to deliver sustainable, healthy, enduring ecosystems and biodiversity for the long term.
Through this initiative, Born Free advocates for the adoption of strong international and national commitments to expand protected areas and strengthen their integrity.
Today, only 2% of the world’s oceans are included in strongly protected marine parks. Ocean Unite experts estimate we need to protect 30% of the ocean “to build the resilience of ocean life to adapt to climate change and buffer it from other threats like overfishing.”
Born Free USA is calling for bold commitments to protect our oceans in ongoing negotiations of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and in preparation for the 4th session of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We are advocating to secure commitments to expand protected areas to encompass at least 30% of land and sea by 2030, and 50% by 2050, including by supporting efforts led by the High Ambition Coalition, the Global Ocean Alliance, and the Blue Leaders Campaign.
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Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Alice
