Writer： Greenpeace  

What are some ways to protect the ocean? Clean the beach? Plastic reduction? Save whales? Eat less seafood? In fact, there is another important option that can protect the marine ecological environment more extensively and comprehensively, and that is to "establish sufficient marine protected areas." Greenpeace has been working with Ocean Shepherd Global for more than a decade to push the United Nations to adopt a Global Oceans Convention to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Why 30%? What can we do?
Why must we protect the ocean?
The importance of the ocean to us is beyond imagination. More than one billion people around the world rely on fish in the sea for protein and other nutrients, and more than three billion people rely on the biodiversity of the ocean and coastal areas for their livelihoods. In addition, the ocean provides more than 50% of oxygen to the earth and absorbs nearly 30% of man-made carbon dioxide, cooling the earth and mitigating climate change.
However, looking back on human history, the ocean has never been as facing various man-made destructive threats as it is now, including industrial fishing, oil drilling, plastic pollution, deep-sea mining and climate crisis, etc., which have hit like a storm, pushing the ocean into a vicious The critical point of the cycle.
According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the vast high seas cover 43% of the earth’s surface and account for 61% of the global ocean area, while national waters account for 39%. Currently, only 7.65% of the world’s oceans are protected, 6.93% of which are national waters, meaning less than 1% of the high seas is fully protected. This level of protection is far from enough to restore the original marine ecology.

Fortunately, it's not too late to save the ocean. In order to rebuild biodiversity, repair marine ecosystems and slow down the deterioration of climate change, Greenpeace, together with a scientific research team led by the University of Oxford and the University of York in the UK, published the "30x30 Ocean Protection Blueprint" report in 2019, proposing "Global Ocean Protection "Global Network of Marine Reserves" (global network of marine reserves) is committed to promoting the goal of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, which means 30x30.

What are global marine protected areas?
Global marine protected areas refer to specific high sea areas around the world where destructive activities such as fishing, mining, and waste dumping are expressly prohibited. The core areas can be designated for scientific research, protection of marine life and habitats, etc., so as to allow marine ecology Have enough space to breathe and recover, and coexist with humans forever. Some coastal areas can be opened to small-scale, non-destructive fisheries to promote sustainable development.
The effectiveness of establishing "protected areas" in ecological restoration has been fully scientifically proven. However, the coverage of most existing marine protected areas is often limited by boundaries. Greenpeace is committed to covering at least 30% of the global ocean area and implementing the establishment of global marine protected areas through the United Nations Global Ocean Convention by 2030.
In addition to advocating for a ban on destructive industrial activities such as fishing, mining, and oil drilling in marine protected areas around the world, we must also ensure that these marine protected areas receive sufficient resources for effective supervision, investigation, and law enforcement.

The huge ocean only protects 30%?
The ocean has miraculous resilience. As long as the required space and time are provided, the ecology can gradually recover. So the best way is to establish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where all human activities are prohibited and the impact of destructive industrial activities is eliminated.
Protecting 30 percent of the ocean may not seem like much, but it actually covers about 70 million square kilometers, an area equivalent to the size of South America, North America, Europe, and Russia combined. This area will effectively strengthen marine protection, not just a drop in the ocean, but even provide living space for long-distance migrating marine species such as whales, sharks, and sea turtles. (Further reading: Sea Turtle Crisis: Ocean Travelers Face Threat of Extinction)
When the fish population in these 30% of the ocean gradually returns to an abundant level, it will spread to other areas, creating a "spillover effect" that will help the entire ocean regain its abundance.
Banning industrial fishing and other harmful activities in marine protected areas would also benefit millions of fishermen in coastal communities. They have lived in harmony with the ocean for hundreds of years. Fish play an important role in their diet and lifestyle. They will not destroy the entire marine ecosystem and only rely on a small amount of fishing to obtain what they need and work hard to support their families. Without industrial fisheries plundering marine resources, the livelihoods of these fishermen can be better protected, and the oceans will have more time to recover.

How do you arrive at the 30% figure?
Some question the 30% figure. Is this really enough to save the ocean from deterioration and restore it to its original appearance within 10 years?
The "30x30 Ocean Conservation Blueprint" research report adopts a program widely used in designing marine protected area networks and collects global biological distribution, oceanographic, biogeographic and socioeconomic data, such as sharks, cetaceans, seamounts, trenches, The latest information and data on hydrothermal vents, ocean fronts, upwellings, biogeographic zones, commercial fishing pressure and mineral development ownership. After compiling the important information and data, and through hundreds of program calculations in the geographical information system, a protection target value of 30% coverage was developed and designed. Also referring to the 2016 World Conservation Congress resolution, which stated that the network of marine protected areas "should include at least 30% of each marine habitat". This report has also received international recognition.

What would happen if the oceans were not protected?
The ocean is facing unprecedented pressure. Destructive industrial fishing, seabed drilling, deep-sea mining, global warming, plastic pollution, etc. are causing the rapid disappearance of life in the sea, imbalance of the ecosystem, and the loss of marine resources.
Without adequate protection, marine ecology will face an irreversible crisis. Those affected are far more than just sea creatures or the lack of seafood to eat. The ocean is an important helper in balancing the climate. It absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide and produces fresh oxygen. It is also a part of the water cycle. When the ocean loses its original health, it also exacerbates the worsening climate change and brings extreme weather disasters and food crises. Even losing your cherished home.
Currently, the global regulations for formulating and managing oceans are mostly driven by interest groups such as industrial fish farming, which cannot truly protect the ocean. Strong regulations and marine protected areas must be formulated to implement ecological conservation. Currently, the global regulations for formulating and managing oceans are mostly driven by interest groups such as industrial fish farming, which cannot truly protect the ocean. Strong regulations and marine protected areas must be formulated to implement ecological conservation.

Before it's too late! Strongly promote the formulation of a "Global Ocean Convention"
We need a network of protected areas across the world's oceans to protect ecosystems and combat climate and nature crises. But like most environmental problems, it won't happen on its own. In particular, greedy large corporations continue to lobby the government against ocean protection for the sake of profit and power. There is currently no legal mechanism in the world to establish marine protected areas outside national waters, so Greenpeace has been promoting the establishment of marine protected areas since more than ten years ago. After public support and efforts, the Global Ocean Treaty was finally submitted to the United Nations to promote the establishment and management of marine protected areas and protect at least 30% of the oceans by 2030. Driven by the joint promotion of more than 3.5 million supporters around the world, as of June 2021, more than 40 countries around the world have officially joined in supporting the Global Ocean Convention, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Japan, and South Korea, and about 80 Countries support the 30x30 goals in different forms.

Among other things, Greenpeace continues to:
Work with leading scientists to publish the 30x30 report to provide governments with concrete, actionable, and pragmatic recommendations for ocean conservation.
Ships and crews are dispatched to perform oceanographic scientific research missions, track the latest marine ecological developments, and go further to the high seas to expose and stop indiscriminate fishing, deep-sea mining and other behaviors that damage the ocean. Through creative actions and gathering global civil society forces, we actively put pressure on governments and companies to urge them to protect the ocean and support the establishment of global marine protected areas.
Your power is needed! To truly achieve the establishment of a "Global Ocean Convention", it must be approved by all member states in a consultative meeting. However, the last consultation meeting originally scheduled to be held in 2020 was affected by the COVID-19 epidemic and was postponed to 2021. However, on the eve of the negotiations, it was announced again that it would be postponed to 2022.

Greenpeace serves as an observer at the consultation meeting and will continue to lobby governments to support the adoption of the Global Ocean Convention and strive for strong protection policies for our precious oceans. We invite you to support Greenpeace’s work in protecting the oceans, sign a petition to join the global ocean guardians, and work together to achieve adequate protection of the oceans, so that future generations can witness the endless life and coexistence of the oceans.