Global Marine Protected Areas as of Nov 2022.
Image Credit – Protected Planet / UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
In a powerful push to protect marine life, a fresh global initiative is making waves. Initiated by the NGO Dynamic Planet and supported by the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas program, the campaign aptly named Revive Our Ocean has got the backing of renowned British naturalist David Attenborough. This effort aims to spotlight the urgent need to restore ocean health and safeguard biodiversity beneath the waves, as highlighted in a recent Reuters report.
This initiative aims to help communities profit from efforts to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans effectively by the end of the decade. Wait, but how will this initiative help the community in any way?
“Bringing ocean life back to health also breathes life into coastal communities and their economies,” said Kristin Rechberger, the founder of Revive Our Ocean, as quoted in a Reuters report. She said, “It is high time the world understands that MPAs are the foundation of a thriving blue economy.
Back in 2021, the United Nations shared something pretty eye-opening that over 3 billion people rely on the ocean to make a living. That is nearly 40 percent of the global population depending on what goes on beneath the waves. They also pointed out that overfishing is costing us nearly $90 billion every year in net benefits, which means we could have potentially gained this much amount of money if we practised fishing sustainably.
At present, just a small fraction, around 8 percent of the ocean is somehow under protection and only 3 percent of that is truly protected from fishing, as reported by Revive Our Ocean. The aim of the campaign is not just to achieve the 30 percent number by the end of the decade, but to give effective protection to those 30 percent MPAs of the world.
The campaign’s goal to protect 30% of the ocean by the end of the decade is ambitious, and they are trying their best to achieve it. Revive Our Ocean Collective is actively working hand in hand with the local communities, policymakers and businesses to achieve this target and bring the results into real life.
At present, they are working within their network countries and supporting them in creating MPAs and tackling the overfishing problems. The network countries include Greece, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the UK.
However, they are working on creating an MPA toolkit which includes handbooks and they are planning to conduct Interactive training sessions as well so that people around the world who are not included in the network countries can benefit from it. It is currently in process and not completely released yet.
Protecting marine ecosystems often feels like a distant, abstract goal. But for millions of people living in coastal communities, healthy oceans mean daily meals and a source of stable income. Initiatives like Revive Our Ocean aren’t just about safeguarding coral reefs, they’re about preserving the future of communities whose lives are dependent on the ocean.
As the climate crisis intensifies and marine life faces mounting threats from overfishing, pollution, and warming waters, efforts like these are more than just timely; they’re essential. With ecosystems in decline, the path forward must include strong protections backed by science, local knowledge, and real community involvement.