Why our Precious Oceans are Under Threat by Professor Clive Schofield
Science fiction author Arthur C Clarke once observed, “How inappropriate to call this
planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.” Good point, well made.
The oceans clearly dominate the world spatially, encompassing around 72 per cent of
the surface of the planet.
The vast extent of the oceans only tells part of the story, however.
The oceans are critical to the global environment and human survival in numerous ways
– they are vital to the global nutrient cycling, represent a key repository and supporter of
biological diversity on a world scale and play a fundamental role in driving the global
atmospheric system.
Coastal and marine environments support and sustain key habitats and living resources,
notably fisheries and aquaculture. These resources continue to provide a critical source
of food for hundreds of millions of people.
The fishing industry supports the livelihoods of an estimated 540 million people
worldwide and fisheries supply more than 15 per cent of the animal protein consumed by
4.2 billion people globally.
Moreover, the oceans are an increasing source of energy resources and underpin the
global economy through sea borne trade.
Overall, it has been estimated that 61 per cent of global GNP is sourced from the oceans
and coastal areas within 100km of the sea.
Coasts and marine zones also provide essential, but often not fully acknowledged,
ecosystem services.
Coasts and marine zones are therefore of critical importance across scales, from the
global to the regional, national and sub-national coastal community levels. At the same
time the oceans also remain largely (95 per cent) unexplored.
Coastal and marine issues have particular resonance for Australia. As our national
anthem suggests, Australia is “girt by sea” and is a major maritime state, boasting the
third-largest coastline (almost 60,000kms in length), and third largest maritime zone in
the world.
This enormous maritime jurisdiction is substantially larger in area than Australia’s
already broad continental landmass.
Australia also has responsibility for multiple, far-flung island territories.
Moreover, approximately 85 per cent of its population live within the coastal zone and
Australians have a longstanding strong cultural affinity to their coasts and oceans.
Australia’s coasts and marine zones are of crucial national significance, not least
because these areas are pivotal to economic development – something that is by no
means restricted to Australia as alluded to above.
The oceans are, however, also increasingly under threat. Threats to coasts and marine
zones have arisen as a result of increasingly intense and diverse uses of these spaces,
enhanced competition over resources coastal and marine resources and incompatible
developments.
Longstanding and well-recognised threats such pollution and dumping, as well as urgent
concerns regarding over-fishing, the destruction of valuable habitats and the
preservation of marine biodiversity.
The sustained trend towards urbanisation in the coastal zone and the growth of coastal
mega-cities, frequently located on low-elevation coasts, adds to the pressure facing
coastal and marine environments.
Climate change impacts on coasts and marine zones are profound, something that is of
particular significance given that the oceans serve as the primary sink for excess heat
and carbon present in the global climate system.
These problems are compounded by shortcomings in monitoring and limitations in terms
of control, enforcement and compliance with respect to national and international
regulations.
The Global Challenge of Sustaining Coasts and Marine Zones is therefore a particularly
urgent as well as exciting one. This challenge will bring together experts from a diverse
range of fields including science, marine conservation, law, geography, and biology.
Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones represents an enormous challenge and one that is
global in scope yet also directly relevant to us all. That the challenge is daunting does
not mean that we should do nothing.
Care to join us in addressing the challenge?