A large number of endangered species are concentrated in the sea because of fish stocks, the destruction of marine habitats, ocean acidification (caused by the dumping of nitrogenous waste and sediments) and climate change. The future of the oceans (71% of the planet) may end up without animal life and without the marine biodiversity.
When it is too late, we will realize the importance of the sea as a potential source of medicines, chemicals, cosmetics, raw materials, fuel and biochemical systems. We are killing the oceans, when it is estimated that there are still more than 1,400,000 unknown species, and only 0.1% of the sea is in a protected area.
Marine biodiversity and ecosystems maintain the health of the planet and sustain social wellbeing
Nowhere is the importance of biodiversity to sustainable development more essential than in the oceans. Marine biodiversity, that is, the variety of life in the oceans and seas, is a fundamental aspect of the three pillars of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental - maintaining the healthy functioning of the planet and providing services that underpin the health, well-being and prosperity of humankind.
The oceans are one of the world's major reservoirs of biodiversity. They constitute more than 90% of the planet's habitable space and contain some 250,000 known species and many more that remain to be discovered, as more than two-thirds of the world's marine species have yet to be identified1.
The oceans and the life they contain are fundamental to the healthy functioning of the planet, supplying half of the oxygen we breathe2 and absorbing 26% of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere each year3 .
Increasing evidence demonstrates the essential role that marine biodiversity plays for the health of the planet and social well-being. The fisheries and agriculture sectors are a source of income for hundreds of millions of people, especially low-income families, and contribute directly and indirectly to their food security.
Marine ecosystems provide countless services to coastal communities around the world. For example, mangrove ecosystems are an important source of food for more than 210 million people, but they also provide many other services such as livelihoods, clean water, forest products, and protection from erosion and extreme weather events.
