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A global approach
The vastness of the ocean often leads us to underestimate
its vulnerability. The ocean provides
over 60% of the oxygen that we breathe; the sea is also the
home for over 90% of living things in our world.
The sea suffers the consequences of climate change, habitat
destruction, bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals, and species
loss.
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Over 70% of global fish stocks
are overexploited, fully exploited, depleted or recovering
from prior over-exploitation. |
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At least 50,000 seabirds,
30,000 sea lions, 100,000 sea turtles, and 400,000 dolphins
are caught in commercial operations every year. |
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At least 10% of the world's coral
reefs have been degraded, and another 30% is likely to
decline within the next 15 years. |
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Over 50% of mangroves
have been destroyed. |
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Over 8 million tons of oil enters
the ocean each year as a result of human activities. |
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Over 7 billion tons
of garbage enter the ocean from land based sources alone. |
The marine environment is
becoming increasingly stressed by world human population growth
and industry. As a consequence, many marine species are threatened
and will be endangered in a close future. The species and
ecosystems suffering most are in the coastal waters close
to humankind.
Coastal ecosystems are both
very productive and vulnerable.
As a large proportion of the world's population is concentrated
along the coastline, the effects of pollution are most striking
in waters near the shore. Even when greatly diluted, pollutants
can have a harmful impact.
Many people have come to rely heavily on coastal waters for
food and recreation. The double impact of adding pollutants
while harvesting natural resources places a great strain on
coastal aquatic systems.
As a consequence, coastal ecosystems have already lost much
of their capacity to produce biodiversity due to destruction
of nursery habitats.
Several marine species need coastal areas for breeding, feeding
and protection. Many of them are particularly vulnerable to
threats caused by human activities: species requiring more
than one habitat during development as many fish, and species
that mature slowly and produce few offspring such as seabirds
and marine mammals.
There are some threats on coastal marine biodiversity:
Habitat destruction
Overfishing
Pollution
Non indigenous species
Global change
Because the ocean and the coastal areas play
a critical role in our everyday life and in the future of
our planet, any attempt to protect them it is worth thinking
about.
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