- Scenarios conducive to rebuilding marine life
- > Although many marine habitats are severely overexploited and degraded, experts are convinced that it is possible to rebuild marine flora and fauna by 2050. Their optimism rests on the many minor successes achieved in marine conservation and the lessons learned from them. However, a genuine comeback of marine ecosystems will only be within reach if the international community takes resolute action and human interventions in the ocean do much less damage in future.
The good news: Making a successful comeback
A safety net for ocean life
Marine conservation works. This is evident from the trajectory of numerous marine species and habitats that were almost eradicated or suffered extensive human-induced degradation but are now recovering thanks to conservation measures. Indeed, according to experts, the resilience and recovery potential of marine ecosystems are so high that humankind may succeed in largely restoring the currently severely weakened marine habitats by 2050.
For a successful recovery, a mix of proven marine conservation measures, innovative and participatory approaches to marine management and effective climate policies is required. Other prerequisites are adequate funding, multidisciplinary research expertise, clear policy frameworks and broad support at all levels of our society and across multiple countries. Experts are talking about a global partnership to rebuild marine life. This must be initiated and addressed immediately if the ambitious goal – healthy marine habitats by 2050 – is to be achieved.
Marine conservation measures previously aimed primarily to mitigate or entirely prevent the immediate risks to threatened species and habitats. This was achieved by strictly regulating or prohibiting the hunting of certain species, substituting sustainable for destructive fishing methods, and combating specific sources of marine pollution, for example. Communities also began to restore weakened or degraded coastal and marine ecosystems and protect them more effectively.
The successes that these measures achieved certainly stand up to scrutiny. Overall, however, the outcomes by no means suffice to preserve marine species abundance and biodiversity. At a time of dramatic climate change and species turnover, coordinated and dynamic marine management is needed, with alignment of its individual elements and with all groups impacted by the potential measures involved in its planning.
Indigenous knowledge has a role to play in ensuring the success of this marine management approach, along with a recognition that some sea areas will be intensively used in future. Their total area is likely to be smaller than at present because more protected areas are to be designated in future years. However, it will also be crucial to utilize the ocean outside the protected areas in a way which inflicts minimal or zero damage on the marine environment.
If this transformation is successful, ecosystems – even in intensively used marine regions – can recover and, over the long term, provide the multiple services that we have come to expect and rely on. The requisite knowledge is available. Our task now is to set the right priorities and take action.