International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Submission by IUCN to the
Preparatory meeting to the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15-16 February, New York
IUCN welcomes the 7 themes of the Partnership Dialogues, however urges that Theme 3 Minimizing and addressing ocean acidification also addresses other impacts from climate change, including ocean warming as well as nature-based solutions including blue carbon.
IUCN is highly concerned with the impacts the Ocean is facing from increased plastic, especially micro plastic and climate change – including ocean acidification, ocean warming and deoxygenating – as well as loss of critical ecosystems. The health of the Ocean from coastal regions to the high seas is vitally important for the wealth of ecosystem services it provides to coastal and island communities but as well to all of humankind.
IUCN is engaged already in a variety of partnerships and initiatives addressing those stressors, such as the International Blue Carbon Partnership to foster better management of coastal ecosystems for climate change mitigation as well as adaptation, and in the ”Close the Plastic Tap” platform which shares best practices and promote innovative cooperation to fight marine plastic pollution at the global level.
However, we know that the Ocean is facing a wide variety of threats – which we still too often address in silos. While we are seeing very successful partnerships and initiatives around the world finding innovative solutions to keep our ocean healthy, we need to also account for the cumulative and synergistic impacts which the ocean has to deal with and to strengthen a needed holistic approach.
Therefore we need to indeed build on existing partnerships which harness the strength of different stakeholders including civil society and the private sector. But we also need to develop new partnerships to take into account the suite of threats to our ocean and truly help us find innovative solutions in a holistic manner.
Preparatory meeting to the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15-16 February, New York
IUCN welcomes the 7 themes of the Partnership Dialogues, however urges that Theme 3 Minimizing and addressing ocean acidification also addresses other impacts from climate change, including ocean warming as well as nature-based solutions including blue carbon.
IUCN is highly concerned with the impacts the Ocean is facing from increased plastic, especially micro plastic and climate change – including ocean acidification, ocean warming and deoxygenating – as well as loss of critical ecosystems. The health of the Ocean from coastal regions to the high seas is vitally important for the wealth of ecosystem services it provides to coastal and island communities but as well to all of humankind.
IUCN is engaged already in a variety of partnerships and initiatives addressing those stressors, such as the International Blue Carbon Partnership to foster better management of coastal ecosystems for climate change mitigation as well as adaptation, and in the ”Close the Plastic Tap” platform which shares best practices and promote innovative cooperation to fight marine plastic pollution at the global level.
However, we know that the Ocean is facing a wide variety of threats – which we still too often address in silos. While we are seeing very successful partnerships and initiatives around the world finding innovative solutions to keep our ocean healthy, we need to also account for the cumulative and synergistic impacts which the ocean has to deal with and to strengthen a needed holistic approach.
Therefore we need to indeed build on existing partnerships which harness the strength of different stakeholders including civil society and the private sector. But we also need to develop new partnerships to take into account the suite of threats to our ocean and truly help us find innovative solutions in a holistic manner.