World Oceans Day 2009: UNEP works to ensure cleaner oceans for a greener planet

World Oceans Day is a celebration of sorts to foster greater awareness of the crucial role of the ocean in our lives and the important ways each of us can help. With oceans accounting for over 70% of the planet’s surface – an interconnected body of salt water spanning the entire globe – their "health" plays an integral part in the status of our world.

They control our climate, regulating the planet’s temperatures and wind patterns. They support the economies of our communities by way of providing food and shorelines protection. They provide natural resources for energy and trade, while enabling human culture and recreation.

In light of World Oceans Day 2009, many marine-conscious advocates are looking for ways to educate and participate in the effort to protect the oceans as they face unprecedented pressures from human-inflicted causes – causes that are altering the marine environment at such a rate that affects and will ultimately destroy the most vulnerable marine ecosystems.

Ensuring marine protection through technology innovation

Always ahead of the curve in promoting eco-sensitivity across the globe, UNEP has just announced the launch of a new online system that allows viewers to view and study the world’s marine protected areas.

As part of the recently-developed World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) – the authoritative and most globally comprehensive list of marine and terrestrial protected areas -  this new tool provides the most current and relevant information concerning marine and coastal biodiversity.

"Marine protected areas are critical to the future of the oceans and they will ensure that the ecosystem services on which millions of people around the world rely for their livelihoods and existence will be maintained," explained Kristian Teleki, Head of the One Ocean Program and Director of the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) at UNEP-WCMC.

UNEP addresess the accelerating degradation of the world’s oceans and coastal areas through sustainable management and wise use of marine and coastal environment taking into consideration the interconnected nature of the world’s oceans and coastlines, its rich and varied biodiversity and the importance of marine resources to millions of people.

"Without Marine Protected Areas and the efforts of governments, conservation organizations and communities around the world to manage and conserve the marine environment, the future of the oceans and the diversity of life contained within them will be jeopardized."

What are Marine Protected Areas?

Marine protected areas (MPAs) – locations that are protected due to their environmental, scenic or socio-economic value – cover different marine and coastal environments from shallow coastal waters to the deepest sea, from polar oceans to tropical seas and often span national boundaries. When combined with other conservation measures such as spatial planning and ecosystem-based management, these areas can be very effective.

Although some countries have marine protected areas, these vary considerably in size and designation from country to country, depending on national needs and priorities, and on differences in legislative, institutional and financial support.

"Currently somewhere around 12 per cent of the land is held in protected areas, but less than one per cent of the marine environment has been given such status – so this needs to change, and to change fast too," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP). "It is our hope that the WDPA-Marine will help nations redress this imbalance and that in the next decade we will have achieved significant progress in protecting the seas through MPAs."

Oceans: a victim of wasteful living

According to a new report by UNEP and the Ocean Conservancy, marine trash is a tremendous and growing environmental concern. With over 75% of the annual water waste production generated during summer travel seasons, well-managed eco-tourism initiatives can be highly beneficial to curbing the global onslaught of marine waste.

The new report marks the first-ever attempt to examine the marine litter situation in all 12 major regional seas around the world, and concludes that despite several international, regional and national efforts to reverse marine pollution, alarming quantities of trash thrown out to sea continue to endanger people’s safety and health, entrap wildlife, damage nautical equipment and deface coastal areas around the world.

"Marine litter is symptomatic of a wider malaise: namely the wasteful use and persistent poor management of natural resources," said Steiner. "The plastic bags, bottles and other debris piling up in the oceans and seas could be dramatically reduced by improved waste reduction, waste management and recycling initiatives".

"[Ocean waste] can be cut by boosting public awareness, and proposing an array of economic incentives and smart market mechanisms that tip the balance in favor of recycling, reducing or re-use rather than dumping into the sea."

With global plastic production at 225 million tons per year, plastic debris, often mistaken for food by marine mammals, birds, fish and turtles, is accumulating in terrestrial and marine environments worldwide, slowly breaking down into tinier and tinier pieces that can be consumed by the smallest marine life at the base of the food web, releasing toxic compounds into the bodies of organisms that eat the plastic.

A five-year survey of fulmars found in the North Sea region found that 95% of these seabirds contained plastic in their stomachs. Studies of the Northeast Atlantic plankton have found plastic in samples dating back to the 1960s, with a significant increase in abundance in time.

"This report is a reminder that carelessness and indifference is proving deadly for our oceans and its inhabitants," said Philippe Cousteau, CEO of EarthEcho International and Ocean Conservancy board member. "Offered here are more than mere facts and figures. The time for action is now, and true change will require taking a bold and courageous stand. There are solutions that everyone, everywhere in the world, can adopt to make a positive difference for our water planet."

"The ocean is our life support system – it provides much of the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat and climate we need to survive – yet trash continues to threaten its health," said Vikki Spruill, President and CEO of Ocean Conservancy. "The impact of marine debris is clear and dramatic; dead and injured wildlife, littered beaches that discourage tourism and choked ocean ecosystems. Marine debris is one of the most widespread pollution threats facing our ocean and it is completely preventable."

What do you think?

These statistics and findings paint a fairly grim picture for the future of our oceans and their effect on all our lives. Share your ideas, thoughts and comments below on how YOU think we as an international population can effectively protect and support the health of our planet’s oceans.