Living Blue Planet Report

Living Blue Planet Report page 42

“Both everyday experience and scientific research show that the
gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the
poorest. For example, the depletion of fishing reserves especially
hurts small fishing communities without the means to replace
those resources; water pollution particularly affects the poor who
cannot buy bottled water; and rises in the sea level mainly affect
impoverished coastal populations who have nowhere else to go.”
Encyclical Letter - Laudato Si’ - of the Holy Father Francis on Care
of our Common Home.

The ocean is fundamental to life on Earth, underpinning economies
and businesses, and sustaining the livelihoods and well-being of
billions of people worldwide. Yet as Chapter 1 has shown, many
ocean ecosystems are in serious decline – while the pressures
outlined in Chapter 2 continue to intensify. We are rapidly running
down our ocean – the natural assets like coral reefs, mangroves and
the species they contain – and the wealth of goods and services that
it provides. Overfishing, pollution, tourism, shipping, extractive
industries and now climate change are not only threatening the
health of marine habitats and species, but also our fundamental life-
support system. People’s health, way of life and security is at risk.
From coral reefs and mangroves to migratory fish stocks, the
ocean is rich in natural capital. These natural assets provide a range
of goods and services on which we all ultimately depend (Figure
23). The ocean benefits us directly, providing food, raw materials,
energy, medicines and other products. Nearly 3 billion people rely
on marine and freshwater fish as a major source of animal protein,
getting almost 20 per cent of their dietary intake from this source
(FAO, 2014b) and around 10-12 per cent of the world’s population
depends on fishing and aquaculture as a livelihood (HLPE, 2014).
The ocean is also enormously important for recreation and
tourism, and is of great cultural and spiritual importance to coastal
communities around the world. It’s also crucial to international
transport and shipping.
The ocean also benefits humans indirectly. It regulates our
global climate and weather, produces half the oxygen we breathe
and absorbs almost a third of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions (IPCC,
2013). Coastal habitats protect coastal communities and cities from
storms and erosion, and filter land-based pollution and nutrients.

Figure 23: Ecosystem

goods and services

provided by the ocean

(U N EP 2011).

Scenic coastlines,

islands, and coral

reefs offer recreational

opportunities, such as

scuba diving, sea

kayaking and

sailing

Coastal habitats protect coastal

communities and cities

from storms and erosion

Healthy coral reefs are

hotspots of marine

biodiversity and can be a

source for new medicines

and healthcare products

Mangroves and

saltmarshes act

as natural filters, trapping

harmful sediments and

excessive nutrients

Marine ecosystems including

seagrasses, mangroves and

saltmarshes act as carbon sinks,

reducing greenhouse gases

The oceans produce

half the oxygen we

breathe

Sustainable fisheries

provide food, create

jobs, and support

local economies

Estuarine seagrasses and

mangroves provide nursery

habitat for commercially targeted

fish and crustacean species

Offshore reefs create

sand and protect the

shoreline from severe

storms

Offshore energy

provides power to

support coastal

development

Why we should care