A recent study published in OneEarth Journal It explores how the conservation of marine biodiversity, human health and well-being are linked. The results suggest that marine protected areas may be good for each the planet and humans. These areas of the ocean are legally recognized by governments as necessary for marine conservation. They are protected by restricting human activities in and around them.
Once the federal government declares a marine protected area, you generally cannot live, fish, construct a beach resort, start a fish farm or drill for oil in it. can do Laws vary from place to put, but the concept is to limit human activity as much as possible and permit nature to flourish.
With plans to boost marine conservation under the UN-endorsed Biodiversity Plan “30×30” target (which goals to guard 30% of the world's land and oceans by 2030), it is crucial to understand how this can affect people in addition to nature.
The study was conducted by the conservation charity Worldwide Fund for Nature, the Harvard Institute of Public Health and Duke University's Marine Laboratory. The team is led by marine conservation scientists. Daniel ViennaAll scientific articles written since 1973 coping with marine protected areas and their impact on people were reviewed.
They found that for 234 marine protected areas worldwide which have been closely monitored, greater than 60 percent have shown improvements in each nature conservation and human health.
The study included marine protected areas that allow for “sustainable use” through managed and selective fishing activities. These are fishing methods, comparable to using hook and line or fishing nets, that don't cause physical damage to fragile habitats comparable to coral reefs.
The paper shows that generally, investments in marine protected areas directly profit the health and livelihoods of the individuals who live near them. Increasing the harvest of fish and other aquatic foods, comparable to shellfish and seaweed, is often a source of advantages. Fishermen's income increases and community access to nutritious aquatic food improves.
M_Kaempfer/Shutterstock, CC BY-NC-ND
The advantages of marine conservation for fisheries-based livelihoods are biggest in small island states which have large marine protected areas, comparable to Bonaire, Palau and the Cook Islands, where greater than 95% of fish catch area-based conservation measures. are related to
Despite ample evidence that marine conservation improves access to aquatic food, the authors found surprisingly few studies that directly measured impacts on human nutrition. Only three of the 237 studies reviewed examined how the creation of marine protected areas affected the diets of individuals living around them. Only one study, within the Philippines, made a link between eating regimen and health outcomes, because, when access to fish within the eating regimen improved because of marine conservation, nearby communities had fewer children.
Too many nutrients within the ocean?
Our continents and islands are surrounded by oceans, lakes, rivers and floodplains which might be populated by food plants and animals wealthy in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. These are micronutrients from aquatic foods. Highly bioavailable (Easily absorbed by the body). If cultivated sustainably and made available to undernourished people, they'll prevent malnutrition. Among the millions of coastal people.
The recent report quantifies the micronutrient contribution to the human eating regimen from aquatic foods that flourish when marine protected areas are established. It combines data on the nutrient content of all aquatic foods harvested in and around marine protected areas, with catch data from surrounding areas.
Supports the prevailing Marine Protected Area Network. 14 percent of global supply Six necessary micronutrients from marine fisheries It is obtained by protecting only 8% of the world's oceans. By allowing marine life to thrive inside protected areas, nearby fish populations are replenished. Therefore, by protecting marine wildlife, protected areas help sustain fish and shellfish stocks.
This means larger catches, more income from fishing or tourism and more food. More nutrition means higher health. This applies to each marine protected areas which have a strict no-take zone, where fishing of any kind is prohibited, and those who allow regulated fishing.
As the population grows, the demand for aquatic food increases. Wild crops are being supplemented by aquaculture and mariculture – the equivalent of growing crops and livestock on freshwater and marine land. More than half of the aquatic food consumed directly by humans now comes from aquaculture, much of it in inland waters. Compared to the ocean.
But in lots of countries within the developing world, particularly island and coastal nations, harvesting wild foods from marine ecosystems is critical to feeding the greater than 3 billion individuals who get greater than 15 percent of their animal protein. Aquatic food.
White Ura/Shutterstock, CC BY-NC-ND
Despite their potential to deal with global micronutrient undernutrition, aquatic foods have, until recently, been underrepresented in policies and programs to deal with them. Hunger and malnutrition. But with the dietary data of the world's fish species now available, Thus the study Namely can advance a viewpoint. “Nutrition Sensitive Fisheries and Aquaculture”: Fisheries may be managed for optimization slightly than catch or maximize profit. Contribution to human nutrition.
Linking marine conservation to human health is an interesting idea, however the research is flawed. It shouldn't be clear who advantages when income from tourism and fishing increases, or whether the rise in catches goes to those that need it most. i Maldives For example, greater than 80% of reef fish are eaten by tourists, not locals.
Trying to deal with malnutrition with marine protected areas goes to be difficult. There are many marine protected areas. Not effectively managed. On the contrary, 77% catches come from the world's fisheries stocks which might be sustainably managed, although they've little room for expansion to fulfill growing demand. Aquaculture can do this, however the sector remains to be. Moving towards stability..
Many critical threats to marine ecosystems and wild fisheries, comparable to climate change and pollution, will not be effectively addressed by protecting native marine habitat alone. Despite these challenges, this study highlights that nature-human relationships may be regenerative slightly than exploitative.
