Purpose: 

To conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. Unlike most SDGs, which are set for the year 2030, this indicator is targeted for 2025.

Why Life Below Water Is Important?

Oceans provide key natural resources including food, medicines, biofuels, and other products. They help with the breakdown and removal of waste and pollution, and their coastal ecosystems act as buffers to reduce damage from storms.

Maintaining healthy oceans supports climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. And have you been to the seaside? It’s also a great place for tourism and recreation. Even more, Marine Protected Areas contribute to poverty reduction by increasing fish catches and income and improving health. They also help improve gender equality, as women do much of the work at small-scale fisheries. 

The marine environment is also home to a stunning variety of beautiful creatures, ranging from single-celled organisms to the biggest animal ever to have lived on the Earth–the blue whale. They are also home to coral reefs, one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. 

THE TARGETS

Everyone can help to make sure that we meet the Global Goals. Use these ten targets to create action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.

1. Reduce Marine Pollition

• By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

2. Protect and Restore Ecosystem

• In 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and taking action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.

3. Reduce Ocean Acidification 

• Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels.

4. Sustainable Fishing

• In 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics.

5. Conserved Coastal and Marine Areas

• In 2020, conserved at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information.

6. End Subsidies Contributing to Overfishing

• In 2020, prohibited certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation. 

7. Increase The Economic Benefits From Sustainable Use of Marine Resources 

• By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism.

8. Increased Scientific Knowledge, Research, and Technology For Ocean Health.

• Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries.

9. Support Small Scale Fishers 

• Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets.

10. Implement And Enforce International Sea Law. 

• Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of “The future we want”.

Reference