Marine Conservation

The health of the ocean is vital for the functioning of the planet and humans have used the ocean and its resources for centuries for navigation, trade and food security. Overexploitation and pollution put marine ecosystems at risk and marine conservation seeks to counter environmental threats, caused by human activities. Marine conservation takes many forms, including the establishment of marine protected areas and other area-based management tools to restrict or prohibit certain harmful activities.

Our Ocean Equity Research program supports marine conservation efforts to support planetary health objectives, while considering historic responsibility for environmental harm by acknowledging differentiated responsibility and avoiding placing a disproportionate burden on developing states. Ocean equity requires a diversity of views and the inclusion of different stakeholders in intergovernmental policy, such as integration of Indigenous worldviews and marginalised actors in decision-making. Ocean equity concerns questions on who can take decisions over what, how much of the common resources can be sustainably used and what should be protected, how our relationship to the ocean is understood and on what grounds nature is valued. While an anthropogenic view – namely valuing the ocean for its benefit to humans – is dominating today’s narratives, ocean governance could be re-imagined through an eco-centric lens. By recognising the value of nature beyond its benefits to humans, acknowledging intrinsic value and rights of the ocean and marine species can encourage a healthier human-nature relationship and safeguard benefits for future generations and planetary health.