Most populations of turtles included in a recent survey were found to be growing, even though the animals must be protected on both land and sea. Blue, bowhead, fin and sei whale populations are also growing globally, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The International Whaling Commission estimates the global population of these whales now may be around 120,000 animals. The population of humpback whales in the western South Atlantic, which had dropped to around 450 in the 1950s, now is estimated at around 25,000 - near the level scientists estimate existed before hunting began. While some whale populations remain very much in trouble - the North Atlantic right whale, for instance, is critically endangered - others are rebounding. Some high-profile conservation efforts are already paying off.Īn international moratorium on commercial whale hunting that started in the 1980s has shown dramatic results, even though a few species are still hunted by several countries and indigenous groups. Here are glimpses of a few bright spots in the pitched battle for the blue planet. Focusing on success stories, she stressed, helps motivate people to work toward new successes. In marine conservation, “successful efforts typically are neither quick nor cheap and require trust and collaboration,” Knowlton wrote in a 2020 Annual Review of Marine Science paper promoting ocean optimism. Organizations such as Conservation Optimism and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative have broadened her theme, helping to share conservation stories, findings, resolve and resources. That’s why she and her allies began pushing the #oceanoptimism Twitter hashtag in 2014. It’s important to share those successes, she adds, to avoid paralyzing feelings of hopelessness and to spread the knowledge of approaches that work. “There are a lot of successes out there, and most people don’t know about them,” Knowlton says. In fact, she says, many marine conservation efforts around the globe are seeing good results. And let's not even talk about ocean pollution.īut there’s good news, too, says Nancy Knowlton, a coral reef biologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Marine species ranging from whales to algae are endangered overfishing is crushing many subsistence fisheries.Ĭoastal ecosystems have been wiped out on a grand scale key ocean currents may be faltering mining firms are preparing to rip up the deep seafloor to harvest precious minerals, with unknown ecological costs. Climate change is warming and acidifying seawater, stressing or destroying coral reefs.
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