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RESTORING THE WORLD’S OCEANS KAUST researchers lead an evidence-based global study detailing how marine life can recover to full abundance by 2050
In April 2020 the scientific journal Nature published an international oceans study led by KAUST Professors of Marine Science Carlos Duarte and Susana Agustí. The study documents how the recovery rate of marine life can be accelerated to achieve substantial recovery within two to three decades. The study received broad international news coverage, featuring in the BBC, The Guardian and Newsweek, among others.
CARLOS DUARTE Professor of Marine Science and Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology
WE HAVE A NARROW WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER A HEALTHY OCEAN TO OUR GRANDCHILDREN’S GENERATION, AND WE HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS TO DO SO.
The study lays out a roadmap of specific actions to enable the full recovery of the planet’s marine life by 2050. According to the World Wildlife Fund, marine life populations have declined by nearly 50% in the last four decades. This has put the ocean’s ability to support human life under severe threat. The project has brought together work of some of the world’s leading marine scientists from 16 international universities, including KAUST, MIT, Sorbonne Université, The University of Queensland, Aarhus University and the University of York. Their work focused on how the recovery rate of marine life could be increased. Research indicates that if efficient interventions are deployed at large scale, it is still possible for the world’s oceans to recover an abundance of marine life. The study identifies nine components of marine ecosystems that are integral to rebuilding marine life: coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves, megafauna, deep sea, oyster reefs, fisheries, saltmarshes and kelp. The researchers also
FORBES “Scientists believe that the world’s oceans could be recovered to healthy levels by 2050, but it would require a substantial shift in the way that we approach business and conservation.” Forbes article on Earth Day
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26.06.2020 11:31
