[OANNES Foro] The Atlas of Ocean Wealth was published lby The Nature Conservancy

[Mario Cabrejos]

A report mapping the benefits of ocean ecosystems aims to assist governments
and businesses in making informed decisions when using marine and coastal
resources. 

Atlas maps benefit ocean ecosystems
<http://www.scidev.net/global/author.neena-bhandari.html> 

 <http://www.scidev.net/global/author.neena-bhandari.html> Neena Bhandari

21/06/16

http://www.scidev.net/global/conservation/news/conserve-ocean-ecosystems-to-
see-more-benefits.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=SciDevNewsletter&utm_camp
aign=international%20SciDev.Net%20update%3A%2028%20June%202016


The  <http://oceanwealth.org/resources/atlas-of-ocean-wealth/> Atlas of
Ocean Wealth, published last week, compiles data and qualitative information
on the benefits of coral reefs, marshes, mangroves, seagrass meadows and
oyster reefs. It finds that
<http://www.scidev.net/global/agriculture/fisheries/> fish catches are
declining, ocean temperatures are warming, sea levels are rising, and
extreme weather events are threatening coastal habitats. 

 <http://www.scidev.net/global/environment/water/> Oceans cover 70 percent
of the planet, supporting a global seafood economy that accounts for US$190
billion yearly and provides for protein needs of 17 percent of the global
population. 

"Think of bundles of ecosystems generating bundles of benefits," says
co-author Mark Spalding, a marine scientists working for
<http://www.nature.org/> The Nature Conservancy, a non-profit group. He
explains that mangroves, for example, stop dangerous waves, produce fish,
store carbon and grow upwards with sea-level rise. 

"But even those benefits are enhanced if in front of the mangroves there are
coral reefs and seagrass beds," he says. 

The atlas illustrates how coral reefs provide shelter along 150,000
kilometres of the world's tropical coastlines, protecting an estimated 63
million people in more than 100 countries. 

"For each of Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the Philippines, the annual
expected benefits of reefs in coastal protection exceed US$450 million per
year," says Spalding. "Coastal wetlands have sequestered 9.6 metric gigatons
of carbon dioxide, equivalent to all the emissions of France over the same
period since 1990." 

Researchers gathered  <http://www.scidev.net/global/enterprise/data/> data
using traditional sources and latest
<http://www.scidev.net/global/enterprise/technology/> technologies - but
they also used social media resources such as Flickr photos and TripAdvisor
reviews, to quantify and map the value of ecotourism and how much this is
linked to coral reefs. 

Robert Brumbaugh, The Nature Conservatory's director of ocean mapping and
planning, stressed the importance of putting social, ecological and economic
development information in one place for businesses and
<http://www.scidev.net/global/governance/policy/> policymakers. He said the
information is important for countries committed to the global Convention on
Biological Diversity.
 
This convention calls for ten per cent of ocean territory to be protected by
2020, focusing on areas that are crucial for what the report calls
"ecosystem services".
 
"Knowing where and how those services are produced will make it possible for
nations to meet these commitments." Brumbaugh said. 

References

Mark Spalding and others
<http://oceanwealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Atlas-of-Ocean-Wealth.pdf
> The Atlas of Ocean Wealth (The Nature Conservancy, June 2016)

 



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