• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • FAQ
  • Meet the Team
  • About The London Economic
  • Advertise
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
NEWSLETTER
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News Environment

‘Just 13 per cent of the world’s oceans can still be classified as wilderness’

First mapping of global marine wilderness shows just how little remains

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
July 26, 2018
in Environment, News, Science
Credit;SWNS

Credit;SWNS

Just 13 per cent of the world’s oceans can still be classified as wilderness because of man’s interference, warns new research.

The first mapping of global marine wilderness has shown just how little remains.

Researchers have completed the first systematic analysis of marine wilderness around the world.

And they said that what they found is not encouraging; only around an eighth – about 13 per cent – of the world’s ocean can still be classified as wilderness.

Their findings, published in the journal Current Biology, also show that the remaining marine wilderness is unequally distributed and found primarily in the Arctic, in the Antarctic, or around remote Pacific Island nations.

In coastal regions, there is almost no marine wilderness left at all.

Study co-author Kendall Jones, a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland in Australia and the Wildlife Conservation Society, said: “We were astonished by just how little marine wilderness remains.

RelatedPosts

Newspapers react to Britain shutting borders…a year after pandemic struck and not until Monday

‘Least distressing news of the pandemic’ as National Rifle Association files for bankruptcy

Covid: London Mosque donates hot meals to local hospital staff as ‘token of thanks’

Minister blames human error and ‘defective code’ causing 150,000 police records to vanish

“The ocean is immense, covering over 70 per cent of our planet, but we’ve managed to significantly impact almost all of this vast ecosystem.”

On land, rapid declines in wilderness have already been well documented.

But much less was known about the status of marine wilderness, even though wilderness areas are crucial for marine biodiversity.

Mr Jones said: “Pristine wilderness areas hold massive levels of biodiversity and endemic species and are some of the last places of Earth where big populations of apex predators are still found.”

For the new study, researchers used the most comprehensive global figures available for 19 human ‘stressors’ – including commercial shipping, fertiliser and sediment run-off, and several types of fishing in the ocean and their cumulative impact.

They systematically mapped marine wilderness globally by identifying areas with very little impact – lowest 10 per cent – from 15 anthropogenic stressors and also a very low combined cumulative impact from the stressors.

To capture differences in human influence by ocean regions, the researchers repeated their analysis within each of 16 ocean areas.

They found wide variation in the degree of human impacts. For example, around 16 million square kilometres (6.2 million square miles) of wilderness remains in the Warm Indo-Pacific, accounting for just 8.6 per cent of the ocean.

But it’s even worse in Temperate Southern Africa, where less than 2,000 square kms (770 square miles) of marine wilderness remains – less than one per cent of the ocean.

The study also shows that less than five per cent of global marine wilderness is currently protected.

Most of that is in offshore ecosystems, with very little protected wilderness found in high-biodiversity areas such as coral reefs.

Mr Jones added: “This means the vast majority of marine wilderness could be lost at any time, as improvements in technology allow us to fish deeper and ship farther than ever before.

“Thanks to a warming climate, even some places that were once safe due to year-round ice cover can now be fished.”

The research team said their findings highlight an “urgent need” for action to protect what remains of marine wilderness.

They said such an effort requires international environmental agreements to recognise the “unique value” of marine wilderness and sets targets for its retention.

ENDS

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending fromTLE

  • All
  • trending

Stress, fear and homelessness: The threat looming over families confronted with eviction

File photo dated 07/11/03 of a prison cell.

The other prison pandemic

Credit;PA

Repressionomics: Get ready for the new permanent austerity

Latest from TLE

Newspapers react to Britain shutting borders…a year after pandemic struck and not until Monday

In this May 4, 2013, file photo, National Rifle Association members listen to speakers during the NRA's Annual Meetings and Exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. (Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

‘Least distressing news of the pandemic’ as National Rifle Association files for bankruptcy

Credit;PA

Covid: London Mosque donates hot meals to local hospital staff as ‘token of thanks’

Image by AdobeStock

Weather forecast, alerts and UVB index for London, Saturday 16 January 2021

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: jack@thelondoneconomic.com

Commercial enquiries, please contact: advertise@thelondoneconomic.com

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech & Auto
  • About The London Economic
  • Meet the Team
  • Privacy policy

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.