Decrease threats to marine life

Protected areas alone are not enough. To stop the rapid loss of marine life, the causes for its destruction must be limited. 

Global oceans are overexploited by the fishing industry. They are damaged by oil and gas exploration. They are polluted by plastics and nutrient run-offs from intensively fertilised land areas. Maritime transport fosters the invasion of non-native species. Climate change is rapidly affecting underwater living conditions. 

Government leaders agreed through the new biodiversity framework that they will tackle these issues. They agreed to reduce risk from pesticides by at least 50% by 2030, to reduce nutrient loss by at least 50% by 2030, and to reduce pollution risks and negative impacts of pollution from all sources by 2030 to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity. We need to ensure that human pressures on the oceans are significantly reduced, and that human activities are managed in a sustainable way.