Life below water

Goal 14: Life below water

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources

Advancing the sustainable use and conservation of the oceans continues to require effective strategies and management to combat the adverse effects of overfishing, growing ocean acidification and worsening coastal eutrophication. The expansion of protected areas for marine biodiversity, intensification of research capacity and increases in ocean science funding remain critically important to preserve marine resources.

Threatened Endemic Species Richness - Sharks and Rays

Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity hampers the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. The International Union for the Conservation of...

Marine Ecoregion Protection as of January 2021

The Marine Ecoregions of the World is a global system to classify the oceans, helping to plan and prioritise marine conservation measures. How much are marine areas are protected at ecoregion level? For each African marine ecoregion, this map shows the percentage covered by protected areas.

The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by WWF, the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority...

The global capture fisheries has increased over the last 50 years as the consumption of seafood has doubled.This has increased pressure on fish stocks across the world. According to the State of World Fishery and Aquaculture 2020(FAO), the global capture fisheries production rose 14% from 1990 to...

The IUCN IMMA layer identifies specific habitat areas crucial for one or more marine mammal species, which may be suitable for conservation through delineation and management. IMMAs represent regions that could benefit from targeted protection and/or monitoring. They serve as a marine mammal data...

Global Distribution of Seagrasses (Points)

Seagrass is found on all continents except Antarctica, covering roughly 0.1% of the ocean floor. However, its global extent remains inadequately mapped, with estimates varying between 160,387 km² and 670,000 km², posing a significant challenge for conservation efforts. The UNEP-WCMC seagrass dataset...

Timber availability refers to the physical abundance and accessibility of realizable timber provisions. As timber is used for house building, furniture and in food storage, water and agricultural infrastructure, a lack of timber supply can significantly impact business through production/supply...

Limited Wild Flora & Fauna Availability Risk

This indicator refers to the unavailability of commercially harvested species. Wild species are used in many applications, including for medicinal, cosmetic, aromatic and genetic purposes. They are used globally as feed, fibre (e.g., for clothing, building materials, etc.), fuel, medicines and food...

Regulating & Supporting Services - Enabling Risk

Many businesses rely on ecosystem services that regulate or support production processes, including the cultivation of crops or breeding of animals. Declines in enabling ecosystem services such as soil health, water quality , and habitat provision can result increased costs of production or...

Physical Risk is driven by the ways in which a business depends on nature and can be affected by both natural and human-induced conditions of land- and seascapes. It comprises the risk categories: 1) Provisioning Services, 2) Regulating & Supporting Services - Enabling, 3) Regulating Services -...