The Loss of Marine Species
The mass extinction of marine species due to industrialized fishing and pollution is a big issue that has not yet been solved. According to a research article in the journal, Science, commercial fish and seafood species may all be gone by the year of 2048. At the current rate of loss, it is also feared the oceans may never recover. Extensive coastal pollution, climate change, over-fishing and the enormously wasteful practice of deep-sea trawling are all contributing to the problem. This problem also ruins the biodiversity which leads to a ruined ecosystem. The ocean ecosystem is extremely important as it takes sewage and recycles it into nutrients, scrubs toxins out of the water, produces food for many species, including humans, and turns carbon dioxide into food and oxygen.
In June 1992 The Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signature at the UN Conference on Environment and Development. It was put into force in December 1993. As of October 1998 more than 170 countries have become parties. The three goals of CBD (The Convention on Biological Diversity) are to “promote the conversion of biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.”
Australia’s The Wilderness Society acts to protect Australia’s coastal environment. Also in Australia the Marine Management Strategy was started to protect the marine ecosystem. The Marine Life Protection Act was passed by Californian legislators in the year of 1999 to protect California’s coastal waters and to create a network of marine protected areas.
Links:
• http://www.livescience.com/environment/061102_marine_loss.html
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071227184100.htm
• http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2006/1102marinelife.shtml
• http://www.well.com/~davidu/extinction.html
