Post by Andrei Tchentchik on May 1, 2020 11:32:16 GMT 2
(.#A.091).- The oceans could be regenerated by 2050.
The oceans could be regenerated by 2050.
We saved the whales, or at least some of them.
Posted on April 1, 2020 at 4:54 pm
BOB WEBER
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Scientists now claim that we have a chance to save the rest of ocean life by expanding what is already happening in the world.
"Many of us have reported on the depletion of the oceans over the years," said Boris Worm, marine ecologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax and co-author of an article in Nature Wednesday.
"Many of us recently saw signs of hope. That doesn't mean that the world is getting better, by and large. But there are now hundreds and hundreds of examples showing that when we do something, the ocean is remarkably resilient. "
Mr. Worm and his 14 international co-authors have listed the significant challenges facing the world's oceans.
At least a third of the fish stocks are overfished. A similar fraction of the marine habitat is now lost.
The seas continue to get hotter, more acidic, more oxygen-deprived and more polluted. Up to 12 million tonnes of plastic are added to it each year.
But the document concludes that local and regional conservation efforts are piling up.
The pressure from commercial fishing is starting to decrease. The fertilizer and wastewater spill controls that were put in place years ago are paying off.
In 2000, less than 1% of the Earth’s oceans had some form of legal protection. Now that figure is almost 8%, and it has doubled in Canada.
Almost half of the 124 marine mammal species are growing, some significantly. The proportion of stocks caught sustainably increased from 60% in 2000 to 68% in 2012.
Species such as the humpback whales have returned to their historical reference level.
The renaissance of what Mr. Worm calls "marine infrastructure" is particularly encouraging.
"Even the loss of habitat is less widespread than before. "
Worm said hundreds of examples around the world prove that when governments, industry and communities decide to improve the state of the oceans, they do it.
“We see local efforts that lead to local improvements. We also have global examples, species that are crossing international borders, that were on the verge of extinction, that have rebounded - in some cases, multiple times. "
Elephant seals, for example, are a thousand times more abundant than in the past.
Don't let your guard down
Worm and his co-authors conclude that despite all justified concerns about the seas, their ecosystems could be significantly rebuilt by 2050. But it will happen if - and it is a big deal - governments and societies use the will of which they have already shown themselves to solve these problems and focus it on one big issue: climate change.
“We have to do a lot of things that we have done from the start. But we also really have to deal with climate change. "
It would cost the world up to around 28 billion a year to protect the ocean enough to impact half of it, the document concluded. It indicates that the economic return from fishing and other industries such as eco-tourism would be around $ 10 for every dollar invested.
"It is absolutely doable," said Worm.
"What we really hope is that it brings good news and more than a ray of hope at a time when there is a lot of desperation in the face of our global challenges. "
"There are reasons to worry. But there are literally hundreds and hundreds of examples of ocean restoration. Let’s transport what we’ve done locally to the world. "
F I N .
The oceans could be regenerated by 2050.
We saved the whales, or at least some of them.
Posted on April 1, 2020 at 4:54 pm
BOB WEBER
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Scientists now claim that we have a chance to save the rest of ocean life by expanding what is already happening in the world.
"Many of us have reported on the depletion of the oceans over the years," said Boris Worm, marine ecologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax and co-author of an article in Nature Wednesday.
"Many of us recently saw signs of hope. That doesn't mean that the world is getting better, by and large. But there are now hundreds and hundreds of examples showing that when we do something, the ocean is remarkably resilient. "
Mr. Worm and his 14 international co-authors have listed the significant challenges facing the world's oceans.
At least a third of the fish stocks are overfished. A similar fraction of the marine habitat is now lost.
The seas continue to get hotter, more acidic, more oxygen-deprived and more polluted. Up to 12 million tonnes of plastic are added to it each year.
But the document concludes that local and regional conservation efforts are piling up.
The pressure from commercial fishing is starting to decrease. The fertilizer and wastewater spill controls that were put in place years ago are paying off.
In 2000, less than 1% of the Earth’s oceans had some form of legal protection. Now that figure is almost 8%, and it has doubled in Canada.
Almost half of the 124 marine mammal species are growing, some significantly. The proportion of stocks caught sustainably increased from 60% in 2000 to 68% in 2012.
Species such as the humpback whales have returned to their historical reference level.
The renaissance of what Mr. Worm calls "marine infrastructure" is particularly encouraging.
"Even the loss of habitat is less widespread than before. "
Worm said hundreds of examples around the world prove that when governments, industry and communities decide to improve the state of the oceans, they do it.
“We see local efforts that lead to local improvements. We also have global examples, species that are crossing international borders, that were on the verge of extinction, that have rebounded - in some cases, multiple times. "
Elephant seals, for example, are a thousand times more abundant than in the past.
Don't let your guard down
Worm and his co-authors conclude that despite all justified concerns about the seas, their ecosystems could be significantly rebuilt by 2050. But it will happen if - and it is a big deal - governments and societies use the will of which they have already shown themselves to solve these problems and focus it on one big issue: climate change.
“We have to do a lot of things that we have done from the start. But we also really have to deal with climate change. "
It would cost the world up to around 28 billion a year to protect the ocean enough to impact half of it, the document concluded. It indicates that the economic return from fishing and other industries such as eco-tourism would be around $ 10 for every dollar invested.
"It is absolutely doable," said Worm.
"What we really hope is that it brings good news and more than a ray of hope at a time when there is a lot of desperation in the face of our global challenges. "
"There are reasons to worry. But there are literally hundreds and hundreds of examples of ocean restoration. Let’s transport what we’ve done locally to the world. "
F I N .
