HUMAN survival depends on healthy ecosystems that provide food, clean water, and climate regulation. However, biodiversity loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. With oceans covering 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface, protecting marine biodiversity is crucial for global sustainability.
Oceans have supported life for over three billion years and provide more than 50 per cent of the world’s food. Nearly 90 per cent of fish stocks remain untapped in deep waters beyond 200 miles offshore. As the planet’s largest ecosystem, oceans sustain millions of livelihoods of the global people to produce marine products while helping regulate climate conditions. Unfortunately, marine environments are now in crisis.
Pollution and overfishing severely damage marine life and coral reefs. Large-scale commercial fishing, driven by advanced technology, disrupts underwater ecosystems, leading to “ocean desertification.” According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), nearly 80 per cent of global fish stocks are depleted due to excessive fishing.
Plastic waste is another major threat, accounting for 60 per cent of ocean pollution. Microplastics contaminate marine food chains, affecting species from tiny plankton to massive whales. The presence of plastics in water bodies poses a long-term danger to aquatic life and ecosystems. Furthermore, climate change reduces oceanic oxygen levels, endangering marine species. Despite United Nations initiatives to restore ocean health, success remains limited due to some nations’ excessive exploitation of marine resources and reckless waste disposal.
All global people are responsible for protecting marine biodiversity to save the oceans as well as lessen environmental degradation in cooperation with relevant authorities and governments. Humans cannot live alone. All living beings from land and water have to live together while enjoying the fruits of environmental improvement. As such, they have to conserve the oceans as their habitats. Their lifestyle should not harm anyone in addition to anything else. They all have a concept that their activities can save their life while giving healthy oceans to new generations. Otherwise, they will lose their homes.
The combined impact of human activities and environmental changes weakens ecosystems, threatening marine biodiversity, wildlife, and forests. Without urgent intervention, both land and aquatic life will suffer irreversible damage. Governments must enhance public awareness, enforce strict regulations, and penalize irresponsible industries contributing to environmental degradation. Only through collective action can everybody ensure the sustainability of marine biodiversity and protect the natural world.
