Living Blue Planet Report page 44
Socio-economic implications of ocean decline
As the preceding chapters have highlighted, the ocean is being
re-engineered as a result of human activity. Many marine and
coastal ecosystems are under such stress and degradation that
they are now past the point where they can replenish themselves
and continue to provide us with the same level of benefits. This
is generating increased risks and costs to human well-being and
economies around the world.
The ocean’s once abundant fisheries are increasingly unable
to feed and provide livelihoods for the world’s rapidly expanding
population. In 2008, the FAO estimated that global fish stocks were
contributing some US$50 billion less every year than they would if
well managed and fished sustainably (Arnason et al., 2008). Poor
coastal communities who rely most directly on the ocean for food
and livelihoods are particularly vulnerable – and often unfairly
disadvantaged. In West Africa, for example, small-scale local vessels
find themselves competing for dwindling fish stocks with giant (and
heavily subsidized) super-trawlers from EU countries.
Ocean degradation is also increasingly threatening
sustainable tourism in many destinations. Tourism is especially
dependent on the condition of habitats such as coral reefs, and
reef degradation has a direct economic impact on people whose
livelihoods rely on reef-related tourism.
Coasts denuded of protective habitats are increasingly
exposed to risks associated with rising seas and extreme weather
events. A UN report reveals that global mangrove deforestation
is resulting in economic losses of up to US$42 billion annually
(UNEP, 2014).
With the global population projected to increase beyond
9 billion people by 2050, the demand for ocean resources will
persist and intensify, placing further pressure on natural systems.
Climate change and associated ocean warming and acidification are
exacerbating these risks.
Invisibility of nature’s value: a major cause of ocean decline
Despite our dependence on ocean ecosystems, their contribution is
routinely taken for granted. Many of the benefits they provide do not
have an explicit market value, providing little incentive for decision-
makers to account for the impacts of overuse or degradation, for
example when deciding how to manage a fishery or where to build a
new port. The value of many of nature’s services is often appreciated
only when they are lost (MEA, 2005).
Understanding the value of ocean ecosystems is a crucial
first step in their recovery. Governments, intergovernmental
agencies, businesses and financial institutions are increasingly
In West Africa,
small‑scale local
vessels are
competing for
dwindling fish stocks
with heavily subsidized
super‑trawlers from
EU countries£
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