Why saving our oceans means saving all of us

As an avid free diver and ocean explorer, goal 14 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) strongly reverberates with me. But as a woman and an African, every single one of the 17 SDGs will affect some part of my life. I was asked recently how I can devote my life and work to ocean conservation when there is so much need and suffering in the world. Personally, I feel the SDGs answer this question perfectly – the success of each will be the success of all.

As the SDGs replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it’s heartening to see oceans getting their own specific goal as opposed to being incorporated into a more general one for the environment. This is important due to the overwhelming scientific data that has emerged over the last couple of decades regarding the degradation of the oceans. Unlike most land-based concerns, ocean resource management is hampered by the very characteristics that make it so crucial: the size and resilience of the oceans.

Different nations with vastly different cultural and economic ties to the oceans make decisions independently of one another. With 46% of the world’s oceans considered high seas and outside of any nation’s jurisdiction, there is a free for all when it comes to harvesting fish. Goal 14 is, therefore, important as it demands that the oceans be recognized and addressed as a single entity.

This past week a report was released by WWF and the Zoological Society of London with the unsurprising news that 40% of marine populations have halved since 1970, with many of the fish we eat reaching staggering 74% population drops. Oceans are the lifeblood. Not only do 2.6 billion people depend on them for their primary source of protein, but more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere is produced by the salty masses, while they absorb over 30% of CO₂.

What becomes increasingly apparent as you look at the SDGs is just how interlinked these very diverse 17 goals are. Goal 14, for example, has seven main targets, including ones that call for a reduction of all kinds of marine pollution, particularly land-based activities. Another target focuses on addressing community fishing practices and poverty. A paper published by the Global Oceans Commission dives much deeper into goal 14, underlining the need for clear indicators for each of the targets. These indicators light a path to the success of goal 14.

As an ocean advocate, I have to believe that we can achieve SDG14. There are a growing number of organizations and individuals actively speaking on behalf of ocean issues. This is good, but I believe more needs to be done to improve greater collaboration on this issue, especially between NGO and governmental organizations, stakeholders and activists. We know the challenges. The hard work now is to ensure that we work together to achieve the SDG14 targets – for the sake of the ocean and the planet.

Author: Hanli Prinsloo is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the I AM WATER Foundation and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader

Image: A scuba diver removes his equipment as he prepares to exit La Cueva de los Peces (Cave of the Fish) along the coast of Playa Giron, near the Bay of Pigs, 160 km (100 miles) south-east of Havana, in central Cuba January 24, 2012. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez