You may know ocean life is in grave danger of going extinct; entire networks of coral reefs have died already, and humans are hunting sea life by the millions. In effort to stop this forbidding process to continue, Guatemala’s government announced that the country will put effort into establishing new protected areas to help keep whales, sharks, and many other fish safe. The work starts on July 1, 2022.
The new areas protected cover 18000 square kilometers (Approximately 5000 square miles). The new initiative shows Guatemala’s aim to increase the safety of its oceans.
Although many of us don’t think about the ocean every day, sea life provides much more to us than just fish meat. Marine life accounts both 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity, and the largest ecosystem on Earth. Fish make up 20% of animal protein to over a quarter of Earth’s population. Not to mention, a healthy ocean helps reduce effects of climate change.
One sea mammal in danger from humans are sharks. Although many view them as scary, sharks limit the abundance of their prey, which then affects the prey of those animals, and so on throughout the food web. Because sharks affect almost all levels of the food web, they help to maintain structure in healthy ocean ecosystems. Even though sharks are so important, humans kill over 100 million sharks per year. That means humans kill a shark every 3.17 seconds!
Some other examples of overfishing include humans killing over 1000 whales per year, even though many countries banned whaling. People remove more than 77 million tons of fish from the sea annually. If we don’t act know, fish could go extinct by 2048!
As of today, we have designated only 7% of the world’s ocean as protected, although the UN biodiversity summit in 2021 agreed to have at least 30% of the oceans protected by 2030. Guatemala’s efforts are just a start, but humans can save sea life.
Researchers say oceans can recover by 2050 if threats like overfishing and pollution cease. “We have a narrow window of opportunity to deliver a healthy ocean to our grandchildren’s generation, and we have the knowledge and tools to do so,” says Carlos Duarte, Professor of marine science. Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Director of Marine Conservation Simon Cripps said, “We congratulate Guatemala for their global leadership. They understand the value of natural resources in driving a blue economy and making sure that people benefit from this.”
Sources:
New marine protection area to be created in Guatemala – CBBC Newsround.pdfhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52132683
The new areas protected cover 18000 square kilometers (Approximately 5000 square miles). The new initiative shows Guatemala’s aim to increase the safety of its oceans.
Although many of us don’t think about the ocean every day, sea life provides much more to us than just fish meat. Marine life accounts both 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity, and the largest ecosystem on Earth. Fish make up 20% of animal protein to over a quarter of Earth’s population. Not to mention, a healthy ocean helps reduce effects of climate change.
One sea mammal in danger from humans are sharks. Although many view them as scary, sharks limit the abundance of their prey, which then affects the prey of those animals, and so on throughout the food web. Because sharks affect almost all levels of the food web, they help to maintain structure in healthy ocean ecosystems. Even though sharks are so important, humans kill over 100 million sharks per year. That means humans kill a shark every 3.17 seconds!
Some other examples of overfishing include humans killing over 1000 whales per year, even though many countries banned whaling. People remove more than 77 million tons of fish from the sea annually. If we don’t act know, fish could go extinct by 2048!
As of today, we have designated only 7% of the world’s ocean as protected, although the UN biodiversity summit in 2021 agreed to have at least 30% of the oceans protected by 2030. Guatemala’s efforts are just a start, but humans can save sea life.
Researchers say oceans can recover by 2050 if threats like overfishing and pollution cease. “We have a narrow window of opportunity to deliver a healthy ocean to our grandchildren’s generation, and we have the knowledge and tools to do so,” says Carlos Duarte, Professor of marine science. Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Director of Marine Conservation Simon Cripps said, “We congratulate Guatemala for their global leadership. They understand the value of natural resources in driving a blue economy and making sure that people benefit from this.”
Sources:
New marine protection area to be created in Guatemala – CBBC Newsround.pdfhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52132683
