SDG Goal 14
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Why is this significant?
Destructive trends in ocean health persist and pose a significant threat to the world's largest ecosystem. The ocean continues to face multiple challenges, including warming temperatures, rising acidification, coastal eutrophication, declining fish stocks due to overfishing, and an increasing problem of plastic pollution.
Despite some progress in expanding marine protected areas, the issue of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing remains a serious concern. Shockingly, one in five fish caught originates from these unsustainable practices. This highlights the urgent need for more concerted efforts and accelerated action to restrict harmful marine activities.
To safeguard the health and integrity of the ocean, implementation measures to mitigate climate change, pollutions and sustainable fisheries management practices must be adopted.
Targets
- 14.1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
- 14.2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
- 14.3 Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels
- 14.4 By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
- 14.5 By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information
- 14.6 By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation
- 14.7 By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
- 14.a Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
- 14.b Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets
- 14.c Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of "The future we want"
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