Oceans are the lifeblood of the planet and the global economy, World Bank President Robert Zoellick told a conference on ocean conservation in Singapore. Yet the seas have become overexploited, coastlines badly degraded and reefs under threat from pollution and rising temperatures. Meanwhile, internet surfers will soon be able to go below the surface to immerse themselves in the spectacular coral and marine life of the Great Barrier Reef, under a joint venture between global technology giant Google, the University of Queensland Global Change Institute and insurance company Catlin.

David Fogarty for Reuters (24 February 2012):

The World Bank announced a global alliance to better manage and protect the world’s oceans, which are under threat from over-fishing, pollution and climate change.

Oceans are the lifeblood of the planet and the global economy, World Bank President Robert Zoellick told a conference on ocean conservation in Singapore. Yet the seas have become overexploited, coastlines badly degraded and reefs under threat from pollution and rising temperatures.

“We need a new SOS: Save Our Seas,” Zoellick said in announcing the alliance.

The partnership would bring together countries, scientific centers, non-governmental groups, international organizations, foundations and the private sector, he said.

The World Bank could help guide the effort by bringing together existing global ocean conservation programs and support efforts to mobilize finance and develop market-mechanisms to place a value on the benefits that oceans provide.

Millions of people rely on oceans for jobs and food and that dependence will grow as the world’s population heads for 9 billion people, underscoring the need to better manage the seas.

Zoellick said the alliance was initially committed to mobilizing at least $300 million in finance.

“Working with governments, the scientific community, civil society organizations, and the private sector, we aim to leverage as much as $1.2 billion to support healthy and sustainable oceans.”

FISH STOCKS

A key focus was understanding the full value of the oceans’ wealth and ecosystem services. Oceans are the top source of oxygen, help regulate the climate, while mangroves, reefs and wetlands are critical to protecting increasingly populous coastal areas against hazards such as storms — benefits that are largely taken for granted.

“Whatever the resource, it is impossible to evolve a plan to manage and grow the resource without knowing its value,” he said.

Another aim was to rebuild at least half the world’s fish stocks identified as depleted. About 85 percent of ocean fisheries are fully exploited, over-exploited or depleted.

“We should increase the annual net benefits of fisheries to between $20 billion and $30 billion. We estimate that global fisheries currently run a net economic loss of about $5 billion per year,” he said.

Participants at the conference spoke of the long-term dividends from ocean conservation and better management of its resources. But that needed economists, bankers and board rooms to place a value on the oceans’ “natural capital”.

“The key to the success of this partnership will be new market mechanisms that value natural capital and can attract private finance,” Abyd Karmali, global head of carbon markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, told Reuters.

He pointed to the value in preserving carbon-rich mangrove forests and sea grassbeds and the possibility of earning carbon offsets for projects that conserve these areas.

“The oceans’ stock is in trouble. We have diminished its asset value to a huge degree and poor asset management is poor economics,” Stephen Palumbi, director of the Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, told the conference.

Source: www.wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com

By Justin Norrie & Ove Hoegh-Guldberg in The Conversation (27 February 2012):

Internet surfers will soon be able to go below the surface to immerse themselves in the spectacular coral and marine life of the Great Barrier Reef, under a joint venture between global technology giant Google, the University of Queensland Global Change Institute and insurance company Catlin.

The Catlin Seaview Survey camera, developed for the expedition, will capture 50,000 360-degree underwater panoramas from the reef, which will then be uploaded to Google Earth and Google Maps.

The project’s chief scientist, Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who is Director of the Global Change Institute at The University of Queensland, said the project would gather data to give scientists a better understanding of the impact of climate change and other environmental factors on ocean ecosystems.

“The visual nature of the project will also help bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public awareness,” Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.

“The Catlin Seaview Survey comprises a series of studies which will reveal to the public one of the last frontiers on Earth: the oceans.

“For the first time in history, we have the technology to broadcast the findings and expedition through Google. Millions of people will be able to experience the life, the science and the magic that exists under the surface of our oceans.”

The project, which will launch in September 2012, will be broadcast on a dedicated YouTube channel. With the aid of Google Hangouts video technology, internet users will be able to watch live streaming videos of dives by the expedition team.

The survey of the world’s largest coral reef system will be conducted at three levels: a shallow reef survey, a deep reef survey and a megafauna survey. Together they will provide a clearer picture of the composition, biodiversity and wellbeing of the reef.

The shallow survey will provide a rapid census of corals, fish and other organisms at 20 sites across the 2300-kilometre length of the reef.

For the deep reef survey, the team will use diving robots to explore depths of 30-100 metres. Little is known of this region, yet it may hold some of the secrets of whether or not the coral reefs will survive rapid climate change, Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.

Emmy award-winning cinematographer and shark researcher Richard Fitzpatrick will lead a team carrying out the megafauna survey, for which they will study the migratory patterns of tiger sharks, green turtles and manta rays in response to rising water temperatures. The team will use satellite tags to track 50 animals.

Climate change has caused mass coral bleaching across the reef on three occasions in the past 15 years, and is considered the greatest threat to its future, according to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Water pollution and fishing are also major threats.

Justin Norrie is an editor at The Conversation and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is Director, Global Change Institute at University of Queensland

Source: www.reneweconomy.com.au