Life below water

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 -...

Shapefile showing the location of protected areas in Africa as national parcs and natural reserves.

Healthy coral reefs provide a home for millions of aquatic species and numerous ecosystemic services. Yet they are severely threatened. When stressed, corals expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues and become white (bleached) and vulnerable. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch daily global 5km...

Ocean temperature is related to ocean heat content (the energy absorbed by the ocean), an important topic in the study of global warming. Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) from earth-orbiting infrared radiometers has had a wide impact on oceanographic science. It provides fundamental...

Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) provides fundamental information on the global climate system and for the study of marine ecosystems. For example, it helps estimating heat stress conducive to coral bleaching, the process by which they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues and...

Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) provides fundamental information on the global climate system and for the study of marine ecosystems. For example, it helps estimating heat stress conducive to coral bleaching, the process by which they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues and...