A positive outlook for the world’s oceans – often the focus of depressing news stories about pollution, particularly plastic – has been offered by a team of scientists, who claim that Earth’s seas can be restored to health by 2050. However, they say action is needed now on climate change and to ramp up conservation activities in order for this to happen.
The scientists, from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, and the University of York in the UK, cite the resurgence of the humpback whale population since the ban on commercial whaling as an example of how life in the ocean can bounce back from adversity (the proportion of all marine species at threat of extinction has fallen from 18% in 2000 to 11.4% in 2019).
To protect the world’s seas, the university researchers highlight “salt marshes, mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, kelp, oyster reefs, fisheries, megafauna [large animals, such as whales] and the deep ocean” as the main areas of focus when it comes to restoring habitats, protecting species and fishing responsibly. But they warn that unless the causes of climate change and issues such as marine litter are properly tackled, these ocean conservation efforts will be wasted.
Their study suggests it will cost $10-20bn a year to restore marine life by 2050, but that the global ‘return on investment’ would be 10:1. “Science gives us reason to be optimistic about the future of our oceans, but we are not currently doing enough,” said the University of York’s professor Callum Roberts.
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A positive outlook for the world’s oceans – often the focus of depressing news stories about pollution, particularly plastic – has been offered by a team of scientists, who claim that Earth’s seas can be restored to health by 2050. However, they say action is needed now on climate change and to ramp up conservation activities in order for this to happen.
The scientists, from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, and the University of York in the UK, cite the resurgence of the humpback whale population since the ban on commercial whaling as an example of how life in the ocean can bounce back from adversity (the proportion of all marine species at threat of extinction has fallen from 18% in 2000 to 11.4% in 2019).
To protect the world’s seas, the university researchers highlight “salt marshes, mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, kelp, oyster reefs, fisheries, megafauna [large animals, such as whales] and the deep ocean” as the main areas of focus when it comes to restoring habitats, protecting species and fishing responsibly. But they warn that unless the causes of climate change and issues such as marine litter are properly tackled, these ocean conservation efforts will be wasted.
Their study suggests it will cost $10-20bn a year to restore marine life by 2050, but that the global ‘return on investment’ would be 10:1. “Science gives us reason to be optimistic about the future of our oceans, but we are not currently doing enough,” said the University of York’s professor Callum Roberts.