This conclusion was made by scientists from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London (Zoological Society of London) after conducting the most extensive marine survey. The report, entitled " Living Blue Planet Report " (Report on the living blue planet), talks about the enormous loss of marine life from 1970 to 2012 (49%), and in the case of some species of fish, the population decline is 75%.
The authors of the report see the reasons for this catastrophic situation in climate change, human activity in the sea and its excessive exploitation, which has led to pollution and loss of habitat. “In less than a generation of humans, we have seen a dramatic loss in ocean life: it has halved, their habitats are in a state of decline and destruction,” said Brad Ack, senior vice president of oceans at WWF. “These trends are driven by human activity, from overfishing and resource depletion to coastal work and pollution, the release of carbon dioxide, which causes ocean acidification and an increase in its temperature.”
The results were determined after studying more than 10,000 populations of 3,038 marine species, including fish, birds, mammals and reptiles. The report estimates that about 1/3 of the world's fish stocks are overfished, and 1 in 4 species of sharks, rays and seahorses are close to extinction. Worldwide, more than 20% of mangrove forests were lost between 1980 and 2005.
The disappointing news is that 3/4 of the coral reefs are under threat at the moment, and half of the reef-building materials have been lost in the last 30 years. According to current estimates of ocean warming and acidification levels, they could be irretrievably lost by 2050. “Corals are suffering from poor water quality due to deforestation and coastal farming, along with an increase in the catch of those fish (reefs) that are necessary to maintain coral health.” The temperature increase is negatively affecting the state of the reefs, at which they will become very warm in the ocean, which will entail the loss of one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world.
This month, world leaders will meet in New York for a United Nations summit to develop global sustainable development goals. Brad Eck says the meeting will "provide an opportunity for international concerted action needed to save the ocean."
WWF CEO Marco Lambertini says that "humanity is collectively mismanaging the ocean, causing it to collapse." “Given the important role of the ocean in our economy and the extraordinary contribution to food security, in particular for poor coastal areas, this is simply unacceptable,” adds Lambertini. “We can and must correct our current course.”
See also anekdotig:
- News: " By 2050, over 99% of seabirds will eat plastic " (September 1, 2015)
- Newsletter: " Scientists prove for the first time that zooplankton eat microplastics found in the ocean " (July 27, 2015)