Only 13% of the world's oceans are not damaged by humanity, research reveals | Environment

Only 13% of the world's oceans remain untouched by the damaging impacts of humanity, revealed the first systematic badysis. Outside the more remote areas of the Pacific and the poles, there are almost no oceans harboring naturally high levels of marine fauna.

Huge fishing fleets, global shipping and pollution combine with climate change to degrade the oceans. the researchers found. In addition, only 5% of the wilderness of the ocean is found in existing marine protected areas.

"We were amazed at how few wild marine areas remain," says Kendall Jones at the University of Queensland in Australia. , who led the new research. "The ocean is huge, covering more than 70% of our planet, but we have managed to have a significant impact on almost all this vast ecosystem."

Jones says the last remnants of wildlife to dominate the planet. "They act as time machines," he said. "They are home to unparalleled levels of marine biodiversity, and some of the last places on Earth show you large populations of apex predators like sharks."

Much of the wilderness is on the high seas, beyond the protected areas that nations can create. Scientists have said that a high seas conservation treaty is urgent and that negotiations begin in September under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. They also said that government billion dollars a year spent on high seas fishing must be reduced. "Most of the high seas fishing would not be profitable if it was not for big subsidies," Jones said.

The new work joins recent studies to highlight the threat to the oceans. Scientists warned in January that the oceans are stifling, with huge dead zones quadrupling since 1950, and in February, new maps revealed that half of the world's oceans are now exploited industrially. "The oceans are under threat as never before in the history of humanity," said Sir David Attenborough at the conclusion of the BBC's Blue Planet 2 series in December

. wilderness if they were in the lowest 10% of human impacts, either from a source, such as bottom trawling, or a combination of all.

Since most are on the high seas, very few are protected. "This means that the vast majority of marine nature areas can be lost at any time, as technological improvements allow us to fish deeper and ship further than ever before," said Jones.

Climate change is causing increasing damage and Jones said the Arctic wilderness protected by ice cover in the 1970s was lost after the ice melted and fishing boats were able to access it. He is increasingly a global problem, he said: "In the future, as climate change worsens, I think you can certainly say that everywhere in the world, there is no way around it. ocean, the threat is bigger and bigger. "

There are some bright spots, such as distant corals in the British Indian Ocean Territory around Diego Garcia, whose islanders were controversial in the 1960s. In Antarctica, large fishing companies support the creation of the largest marine sanctuary in the world.

The new study aimed to include the maximum wilderness area, said Ward Appeltans, at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission led by Unesco: He stated that research has focused on ocean floor and n & # 39; 39 have not included the impacts on the water column above, and have supported calls for a global treaty on ocean conservation. [19659002Jonesadéclaré:”Au-delàdesimplementvaloriserlanaturepourlanatureavoircesgrandspaysagesmarinsintactsquifonctionnentcommeilsl'onttoujoursfaitestvraimentimportantpourlaTerreIlsmaintiennentlesprocessusécologiquesquifontfonctionnerlesystèmeclimatiqueetterrestre-[without them] you can start to see great workout effects with drastic and unexpected consequences. "