Oceans, forests and people: Can we ensure a sustainable future for all?

by Amkieltiela, Aleksandra Tsvetelinova Zlateva, Lindsay Demazy, Marisol Arestegui Espinal

Abstract

Our planet hosts a unique diversity of life above ground and below water which we rely on for food, clean air, clean water, and much more! However, the ocean and the forest are currently under threat by human activities, including things we do in our everyday lives. In today’s episode, we will talk about the pressures on these ecosystems using fisheries and deforestation as our main examples. We try to analyze this through the lens of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more specifically Goals 14 and 15. Join us while we discuss the progress made until today, as well as the challenges and opportunities that are made to reach the goals.

 

References and further reading

Bladon, A. J., Short, K. M., Mohammed, E. Y., & Milner‐Gulland, E. J. (2016). Payments for ecosystem services in developing world fisheries. Fish and Fisheries, 17(3), 839-859.

Brownell Jr, R. L., Reeves, R. R., Read, A. J., Smith, B. D., Thomas, P. O., Ralls, K., … & Currey, R. (2019). Bycatch in gillnet fisheries threatens Critically Endangered small cetaceans and other aquatic megafauna. Endangered Species Research, 40, 285-296.

Burke, L., Reytar, K., Spalding, M., & Perry, A. (2012). Reefs at Risk: Revisted. In World Resources Institute. World Resources Institute. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0981(79)90136-9

FAO. (2020). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020. Sustainable in action. In FAO. FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9229en

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Leal Filho, W., Wolf, F., Lange Salvia, A. et al. Heading towards an unsustainable world: some of the implications of not achieving the SDGs. Discov Sustain 1, 2 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-020-00002-x

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. (2020). Global Biodiversity Outlook 5. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

United Nations. (2020). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020. https://www.un-ilibrary.org/united-nations/the-sustainable-development-goals-report-2020_2282dd98-en

United Nations Environment Programme. (2020). About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/about-un-decade

Yale University. (2020). Logging. In Global Forest Atlas. https://globalforestatlas.yale.edu/forest-use-logging/logging