Billions of people rely on the ocean for survival. This is why the United Nations included Life Below Water as one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). SDG 14 aims to “conserve and sustainably use the world’s oceans, seas, and marine resources.”
In response to this call to action, many organizations and even businesses across the globe are coming up with solutions and innovations to restore the oceans. From all-encompassing marine life conservation to a focus on plastic waste prevention, meaningful efforts are underway.
The following five are just a few (a drop in the ocean, if you will) of the projects making an impact and driving progress toward “Life Below Water.”
1. The Sea Turtle Conservancy, Worldwide
The Sea Turtle Conservancy is the world’s oldest research and conservation group focused on sea turtles. Sea turtle expert Dr. Archie Carr started the international non-profit organization in 1959, initially naming it Caribbean Conservation Corporation.
The non-profit organization believes that sea turtles are among the key indicators of marine and coastal ecosystem health. The ancient marine animals graze on seabed and sea sponges, preventing overgrowth. This promotes the healthy growth of flora and fauna, enhancing nitrogen production and current flows. Because sea turtles also prey on jellyfish and crustaceans, they control the population of those marine animals.
Oceans across the world are home to seven species of turtles, six of which are threatened or endangered. These species are the leatherback, loggerhead, kemp’s ridley, olive ridley, green, and hawksbill sea turtles. Conservationists have insufficient data about the flatback sea turtle, so its status in the wild has yet to be determined.
The Sea Turtle Conservancy runs a variety of programs to support its commitment to protecting these marine animals. Among its programs are research and education, nesting beach conservation, and sea turtle grants that help other organizations working on the same conservancy.
2. The Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue Center, Abu Dhabi
Seaworld® Yas Island, Abu Dhabi houses the first and only marine research and rescue center in the Middle East and North Africa region. The center integrates research, rescue, rehabilitation, return, and education to conserve the Arabian Gulf’s marine wildlife. It is one of the more frequently visited spots in Abu Dhabi.
Operating 24 hours a day seven days a week, the Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue Center works with local communities and the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi to run an effective rescue team. Its team is on call, ready to be dispatched whenever marine animals are orphaned, ill, or injured.
Rehabilitation facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art-equipment, ensuring rescued animals recuperate in the right conditions. Once they’re healthy, teams return marine animals to their natural habitat.
Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue Center also holds marine science events, bringing together students, scientists, authors, and researchers who share their passion and ideas for marine conservation.
Thus far, the center has rescued more than 40,000 marine animals.
3. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Australia
The Great Barrier Reef is a critical ecosystem. It is the world’s largest coral reef, taking up 348,000 square kilometers and extending across a contiguous latitudinal range of 14°.
It is home to some 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 species of mollusk, 240 species of birds, and 400 species of coral. A diverse range of sponges, anemones, marine worms, crustaceans, and other species also take shelter in the Great Barrier Reef. It also contains a few species that have been deemed endangered, such as the dugong (sea cow) and the green sea turtle.
In 2018, a study revealed that about one-third of the Great Barrier Reef has been significantly damaged from bleaching. Scientists further discovered that large corals have died due to the warming water.
Other threats to the biodiversity and health of this massive reef are chemical runoff, overfishing, and coastal development. More recently, groundwater pollution is posing a threat, which is providing conservationists a reason to shift their focus.
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is actively addressing all of the threats through further research, reef restoration, marine life protection, and an ambitious reef trust partnership, which is intended to accelerate solutions.
Among the foundation’s achievements are pioneering innovative coral restoration through heat tolerant corals, coral IVF, which has produced millions of baby corals since 2016, and cryopreservation technologies.
4. PADI AWARE Foundation, Worldwide
Working with professional divers across the world, PADI AWARE Foundation seeks to bring awareness to marine conservation. Some of the key issues the Foundation focuses on are overfishing, marine debris, and coral reef restoration. It has been working toward ocean conservation for three decades.
The non-profit organization organizes several conservation activities around the world. These activities include dive against debris, beach cleanup, vulnerable species protection, and AWARE courses.
Among PADI AWARE’s conservation programs are Adopt a Dive Site, Marine Debris, and Shark & Ray Protection. The foundation also funds the future through Mission Hub Community Grant Program which provides critical resources to more than 50 community projects in 17 countries.
5. The Plastic Bank, Global
Plastic waste is choking the world’s oceans, endangering marine life. According to The Plastic Bank, 69.5 million tons of plastic will be in the environment in 2024.
What can be done to reduce the volume of plastic ending up in the ocean?
The Plastic Bank’s approach is to turn plastic into money. The social fintech works at the intersection of pollution and poverty, using gathered plastic to help impoverished communities. The plastics are repurposed, which then provide communities with income.
In the process of collecting all the plastics its members can collect, the organization helps to prevent plastics from entering waterways and oceans.
Other organizations and individuals are coming up with new and inventive ways to do their part in restoring and protecting the oceans.
There’s a digital platform called UpLink, which connects communities and gives them opportunities to scale innovations and accelerate the progress of SDGs. Some of the new initiatives involve the development of biopackaging from sustainably farmed seaweed, maritime surveillance service that fights illegal fishing, and coral reef restoration through art.
