Healthy oceans and marine ecosystem services underpin the ocean economy, and provide critical life support functions upon which human health and well-being depend. Multiple benefits are derived from marine and coastal ecosystems at local, regional and global scales, ranging from pollution control, storm protection, shoreline stabilisation and habitats for species, to climate mitigation and food provisioning.
The OECD is working to support governments scale-up action to conserve and sustainably use our ocean and marine ecosystems, which are under severe pressure from human activities, notably over-exploitation of fish and other resources, habitat destruction, invasive alien species, pollution and climate change.
Governments have a key role to play in putting in place an effective and coherent policy mix to ensure the achievement of SDG 14, to conserve and sustainably use our ocean, seas, and marine resources, and the relevant targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Policy instruments include regulatory, economic, and information and voluntary approaches. However, the pace of policy action is not keeping up with the pressures on the ocean.
