We know surprisingly little about marine biodiversity. Image: Unsplash/ Ishan @seefromthesky
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- A 11-year study is helping to show us the effects of human activity on marine biodiversity.
- Our understanding of the state of the ocean's biodiversity is limited.
- The new study showed corals to be the most widely affected marine organism.
Researchers have created the first global assessment of cumulative human impacts to at-risk marine species over time.
Despite the fact that our planet is mostly ocean and human maritime activity is more intense than ever, we know remarkably little about the state of the ocean’s biodiversity—the variety and balance of species that support healthy and productive ecosystems. And it’s no surprise—marine biodiversity is complex, human impacts are uneven, and species respond differently to different stressors.
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“It is really hard to know how a species is doing by just looking out from your local coast, or dipping underwater on scuba,” says Ben Halpern, a marine ecologist at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara and director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. “You only see a small patch of where a species lives and what it is experiencing, and only the few species you happen to see on that day.”
Though valuable, these snapshots are only part of a much larger picture of cumulative human impacts on at-risk marine species. Even less obvious are changes in impact over time and assessments of vulnerability to these impacts, which differs across species.
Now, the new assessment will make the picture of marine biodiversity much clearer. Published in the journal Science, the assessment will broaden and deepen our understanding of the state of marine biodiversity and will go a long way toward concrete conservation measures for the most vulnerable members of the marine community.
Marine species with higher extinction risk
“This is the first study of its kind looking at the effects of human activity on marine species, and the first looking at changes over time,” says Casey O’Hara, a doctoral student in the Bren School. Taking data on 1,271 threatened and near-threatened marine species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ (IUCN) Red List, the researchers mapped the at-risk species along range and anthropogenic stressors from 2003-2013.
“We focused on those species known to be at a higher risk of extinction because from a conservation perspective, it’s especially important to understand where and how our activities continue to jeopardize those species,” O’Hara says.
“Not every species is affected the same way by various human activities—some species are more sensitive to fishing pressures while others are more vulnerable to rising sea surface temperatures or ocean acidification.”
Mapping over a series of 11 years would also give the researchers a sense of cumulative human impact, a method they first used in a previous study that focused on representative marine habitats.
Where does human activity hit hardest
It’s not a shock. Human impacts on marine biodiversity are increasing, dominated by fishing, direct human disturbance from land, and ocean acidification. But the authors made some unexpected discoveries.
The extent to which at-risk species face these pressures from human activities, and the pace at which the pressures are expanding and intensifying, is worrisome. Corals are the most widely impacted marine organism on Earth.
“I was surprised at the extent to which corals were impacted—coral species are facing impacts across essentially their entire ranges and those impacts are only getting more intense, particularly climate-related impacts,” O’Hara says.
“We hear stories of coral bleaching and the like, but our results really highlight the impact we are having.” The species of the Coral Triangle—the tropical waters connecting Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands—are among the most affected by human impacts, as are species in the North Atlantic, North Sea, and Baltic Sea.
The information from this approach could give decision-makers a deeper understanding of where and how human activity affects marine biodiversity, which could lead to effective solutions. For instance, addressing areas of human impact overlap can maximize the benefits of conservation for several species in the area. Effective conservation measures can help ease the pressures of climate change phenomena such as ocean acidification or rising ocean temperatures.
The team might get the chance to put their findings to work later this year, at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s 15th Conference of Parties, where 197 participating nations and territories will convene on a framework to protect and conserve global biodiversity.
“That framework will include targets for protecting land and ocean areas globally, along the lines of President Biden’s executive order to protect 30% of US lands and coastal waters by 2030,” O’Hara says. “With our study we hope to highlight those areas where such protection can do the greatest good for those species and ecosystems at greatest risk.”
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
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Kwa kushangaza, tunajua mambo machache sana kuhusu viumbe wa baharini. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya ""Utafiti wa miaka 11 unaotusaidia kuonyesha athari za shughuli za binadamu kwenye urithi wa kibiolojia wa baharini.""" - Uelewevu wetu kuhusu hali ya viumbe mbalimbali vya baharini ni mdogo. - Utafiti huo mpya ulionyesha kwamba matumbawe ndiyo viumbe wa baharini wanaoharibiwa zaidi. Watafiti wa kimataifa wametoa tathmini ya kwanza ya athari za binadamu kwa spishi za baharini zilizo hatarini. "Licha ya ukweli kwamba sayari yetu ni bahari na shughuli za baharini za binadamu ni kali zaidi kuliko hapo awali, tunajua kidogo sana juu ya hali ya bioanuwai ya bahari, aina na usawa wa spishi ambazo zinaunga mkono mifumo ya ikolojia yenye afya na uzalishaji. """ Na si ajabu - utofauti wa kibiolojia wa baharini ni tata, athari za binadamu ni tofauti, na spishi kujibu tofauti kwa stressors tofauti. Je, umesoma? "Ni vigumu sana kujua jinsi spishi inafanya kwa kuangalia nje kutoka pwani yako ya ndani, au kuzamisha chini ya maji kwenye scuba, ""anasema Ben Halpern, mtaalamu wa ikolojia ya baharini katika Shule ya Bren ya Sayansi ya Mazingira na Usimamizi katika Chuo Kikuu cha California, Santa Barbara na mkurugenzi wa Kituo cha Kitaifa cha Uchambuzi wa Ikolojia na Synthesis." "Unaona tu sehemu ndogo ya mahali ambapo spishi huishi na kile kinachotokea, na spishi chache tu unazopata siku hiyo. "" Ingawa ni muhimu, picha hizi ni sehemu tu ya picha kubwa zaidi ya athari za binadamu kwa spishi za baharini zilizo hatarini. """ Hata chini ya dhahiri ni mabadiliko katika athari kwa muda na tathmini ya udhaifu kwa athari hizi, ambayo inatofautiana kati ya spishi. Sasa, tathmini hiyo mpya itafanya picha ya utofauti wa viumbe wa baharini iwe wazi zaidi. Tathmini hiyo, iliyochapishwa katika jarida la Sayansi, itapanua na kuimarisha uelewa wetu wa hali ya bioanuwai ya baharini na itafanya kazi kwa njia ndefu kuelekea hatua halisi za uhifadhi kwa wanachama walio hatarini zaidi wa jamii ya baharini. "Hii ni utafiti wa kwanza wa aina yake kuangalia athari za shughuli za binadamu juu ya spishi za baharini, na ya kwanza kuangalia mabadiliko kwa muda,"" anasema Casey O'Hara, mwanafunzi wa udaktari katika Shule ya Bren." Kwa kutumia data ya spishi 1,271 za baharini zilizo hatarini na karibu na hatarini kutoka kwa Orodha Nyekundu ya Umoja wa Kimataifa wa Uhifadhi wa Asili na Rasilimali Asili (IUCN), watafiti walipanga aina zilizo hatarini kando ya eneo na vyanzo vya shinikizo vya binadamu kutoka 2003-2013. "Tulielekeza fikira kwenye spishi hizo zinazojulikana kuwa ziko katika hatari kubwa ya kutoweka kwa sababu kutoka kwa mtazamo wa uhifadhi, ni muhimu sana kuelewa ni wapi na jinsi shughuli zetu zinavyoendelea kuhatarisha spishi hizo, "O'Hara anasema. "Hakuna spishi zote zinazoathiriwa kwa njia ileile na shughuli mbalimbali za binadamu, baadhi ya spishi ni nyeti zaidi kwa shinikizo la uvuvi wakati nyingine ni dhaifu zaidi kwa kuongezeka kwa joto la uso wa bahari au acidification ya bahari. ""Mapping juu ya mfululizo wa miaka 11 pia ingempa watafiti hisia ya athari ya binadamu ya jumla, njia waliyotumia kwanza katika utafiti wa awali ambao ulilenga makazi ya baharini ya mwakilishi." Ambapo shughuli za binadamu hit ngumu zaidi Si mshtuko. Matokeo ya binadamu juu ya biodiversity baharini ni kuongezeka, kutawaliwa na uvuvi, uharibifu wa moja kwa moja wa binadamu kutoka nchi kavu, na acidification bahari. Lakini waandishi hao walifanya uvumbuzi usiotazamiwa. Kiasi ambacho spishi zilizo hatarini zinakabiliwa na shinikizo hili kutoka kwa shughuli za binadamu, na kasi ambayo shinikizo hilo linaongezeka na kuongezeka, ni ya wasiwasi. Matumbawe ndiyo viumbe wa baharini wanaosababishwa sana na madhara duniani. "Nilishangaa kwa kiwango ambacho matumbawe yaliathiriwa - spishi za matumbawe zinakabiliwa na athari katika maeneo yao yote na athari hizo zinazidi kuwa kali, haswa athari zinazohusiana na hali ya hewa, ""O'Hara anasema." "Tunasikia hadithi za rangi ya matumbawe na mengineyo, lakini matokeo yetu yanaonyesha athari tunayokuwa nayo, ""alisema Daktari wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti." Taarifa kutoka kwa mbinu hii inaweza kuwapa watendaji wa maamuzi uelewa wa kina wa wapi na jinsi shughuli za binadamu zinaathiri utofauti wa kibiolojia wa baharini, ambayo inaweza kusababisha suluhisho bora. Kwa mfano, kushughulikia maeneo ya athari za binadamu overlap inaweza kuongeza faida ya uhifadhi kwa spishi kadhaa katika eneo hilo. Hatua za uhifadhi zinaweza kusaidia kupunguza shinikizo la mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa kama vile acidification ya bahari au kuongezeka kwa joto la bahari. Timu hiyo ya wataalamu itatumia matokeo ya utafiti huo katika mkutano wa 15 wa Mkutano wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa Utamaduni wa Kibiolojia, ambapo mataifa 197 yatashiriki katika mkutano wa kuunda mfumo wa kulinda na kuhifadhi utajiri wa viumbe duniani. "Mfumo huo utajumuisha malengo ya kulinda maeneo ya ardhi na bahari ulimwenguni, kulingana na amri ya mtendaji ya Rais Biden ya kulinda 30% ya ardhi ya Marekani na maji ya pwani ifikapo 2030, ""O'Hara anasema." "Kwa utafiti wetu tunatumaini kuangazia maeneo ambayo ulinzi kama huo unaweza kufanya mema zaidi kwa spishi na mifumo ya ikolojia iliyo katika hatari kubwa. ""Usipoteze sasisho lolote juu ya mada hii, fanya akaunti ya bure na ufikie mkusanyiko wako wa maudhui ya kibinafsi na machapisho yetu ya hivi karibuni na uchambuzi." LICENSE na Republishing Maoni yaliyoonyeshwa katika makala hii ni yale ya mwandishi peke yake na si ya Jukwaa la Uchumi la Ulimwengu. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Mati Rodrigue na Diva Amon"" walishirikiana na René van Westen, Henk A. Dijkstra na Michael Kliphuis mnamo Februari 15, 2024."