Why is ocean conservation important?

The temperature, chemistry and nutrient patterns of the ocean, as they relate to human survival, are regulated by animals. Without animals, the ocean would become devoid of the kind of life we need for our survival. Here we take a look at the top 5 reasons to conserve ocean animals.

Only in the last few decades, have humans begun plundering its riches and this is already threatening to destabilise the fragile ocean-climate linked processes that determine our weather and rainfall. Oceans absorb a third of the carbon dioxide produced by humans. When carbon dioxide combines with water, it produces a weak carbonic acid and since the industrial revolution, this has been steadily rising. It is starting to dissolve ocean wildlife and threatening coastal economies. According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 15 (Life Below Water) plastic waste accounts for 13,000 pieces of litter to be found floating on every square kilometre of the world’s ocean.

1. Ocean animals look after most of our planet’s living space

The ocean covers three quarters of the Earth’s surface but represents over ninety-nine percent of the living space by volume. Ocean animals, in particular marine vertebrates (fish, seabirds, whales and dolphins, turtles etc) are highly mobile and responsible for the transfer and amplification of most bioavailable nutrient– that’s to say, the part of the food chain that is of most use to us.

2. Ocean animals and ecosystems are essential for our weather and climate

The ocean absorbs about a third of carbon dioxide produced by humans and because of its thermodynamic properties, also buffers us against the worst fluctuations in climate, by directly absorbing heat. In order to function efficiently, the surface has to be mixed with colder, deeper water. Marine vertebrates are responsible for up to a third of this (equivalent to all tides and weather combined). This is the physical process of them swimming up and down through the mixing layer.

Then there is capture of carbon into food chains. Sixteen percent of the carbon that flows through ocean ecosystems is inside fish. It’s estimated that whaling has added about 70 million tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere and that’s just from whale carcasses. Whales, dolphins, fish and seabirds also concentrate nutrients at biodiversity hotspots, which increases the turnover of algae and absorbs larger quantities of carbon. These algae sink to the seafloor and the carbon becomes trapped as sediment in the deep.

All of these impacts add up to a system that moderates the worst extremes of climate. In short, the stability of climate and maximum capture of carbon depends on wildlife-rich habitats.

3. Almost half the planet’s human population lives at the edge of the ocean

More than 3 billion people depend directly on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. About 40% of the world’s population lives within 100km of the coast and fisheries are a major part of global economies. All of these are reasons to conserve ocean animals.

4. The ocean provides food for a majority of people in much of the world

Fisheries are extremely important for economies. Even final attempts to negotiate a Brexit deal for the UK in December 2019 were stalled by disagreements about fisheries allocation. 96% of fishers working in small-scale fisheries, overwhelmingly in developing countries, are some of the poorest people on Earth. A disproportionate number of poor people are custodians of our most critical ocean landscapes, like the Coral Triangle, where there are 2.25 million local fishers who depend on healthy seas to make a living. These ecosystems are the life blood of the world’s ocean, having three quarters of the world’s coral species and nearly 40% of the world’s reef fish. They are a source of animals for the rest of the world (which create ecosystems and biodiversity) and the heart of processes that keep our oceans cool, clean and functioning. Ninety-percent of fish stocks are used up and a third exist at level below that, at which they can produce sustainable yields.

5. Our life on land depends on healthy ocean animals

Ocean and land processes are intimately connected through the movement of marine vertebrates and the transfer of nutrients, in many ways we aren’t even aware of.

Rain originates in the ocean. Warm air that blows over its surface, creates evaporation and humidity, leaving the salt behind and falling as freshwater. Carbon regulation (not just capture, but the rate, timing and location of carbon movement through ecosystems) stabilises circulation patterns and makes weather and food availability predictable. Animals directly influence this weather on land. Seabird colonies as well as surface-feeding fish, whales and dolphins, create chemistry that influences rainfall on a continental scale. This rainfall is essential for our agriculture.

The massive migration of marine animals on scales of days to months, transfers nutrients all around the planet. This flows up rivers via salmon, for example, that impacts the growth of temperate forests and fertilises soil. This capacity of animals to transport nutrients around the world has declined by 96% in the oceans.

Overall, ocean wildlife purifies, regulates and enhances this system, giving us the best opportunity for survival on Earth.

I hope you enjoyed reading my top 5 reasons to conserve ocean animals. To find out more about the ocean, visit the ocean page on Animal impact here.