Ocean Nature Reserves: Proven Value for Preservation and Provision
Like deforestation on land, the ocean is being debedded, as it were. This is the same as deforestation, but on the ocean floor/bed. The brutal fishing process has been filmed while fisher-men and -women do their jobs. It’s horrific to watch. But ocean nature reserves can effectively restore the habitat and provide more fish for people.
What is an ocean nature reserve?
An ocean nature reserve is a Marine Protected Area. This is where there is a restriction on environmentally damaging activities, and the method has been proven to work, effectively restoring the ocean’s wildlife and health. It is vital to protect all wildlife and environments, on land and in bodies of water, as well as in the air, as it is all one big ecosystem with many small ecosystems, and we rely on other creatures, including plants and animals, to survive on this planet, which is the only planet we have. If we destroy it, we’ll all die.
There are European Marine Sites, and in the UK there are Marine Conservation Zones in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and Marine Protected Areas in Scotland. There are also Highly Protected Marine Areas in England which aim to enable the recovery of wildlife in those areas of ocean.
”Over 70% of the surface of Earth is ocean.” According to Protected Planet, currently only 9.61% of the ocean is protected. Apparently, “National waters represent 39% of the global ocean and at present, 22.53% of these waters are designated as protected areas.” Only 1.45% of the rest of the ocean is currently protected. When they say 22.53%, they mean of the 39%, treating 39% as 100% of national waters around the globe.
Global protection target
We depend on the ocean for food, energy, and water, and yet we are annihilating it. The global target for preservation of the ocean is to protect 30% of coastal waters by 2030 – 9.61% is a long way from that goal, and it’s nearly 2026. That figure is also including non-coastal waters; let’s not worry about that. We only need to do the bare minimum. Of course, we aren’t even doing that. A lot is achievable in a short space of time when humans put their minds to it. For the sake of life on Earth, including humans, surely we can do what is necessary to keep our world functioning so that all life on this planet can continue to exist. Will it really take the planet dying for us to realise that we need (needed) to take very serious, imminent action? It doesn’t have to be like that. We can still turn things around.
According to ScienceDirect, less than 3% of the protected ocean is fully or highly protected. Apparently, there is no clear plan to achieve the necessary minimum of 30% (for land and ocean, each) protection by 2030. Some nations have already achieved the target, while others have not. If we don’t come together to urgently conserve this planet, we won’t have one to preserve, and we’ll all suffer the consequences. No amount of money will save anyone from a dead planet. We have nowhere else to go. This is not a fictional film.
According to the authors of the article, “A Pathway to Protect 30% of Coastal Waters by 2030”, published by ScienceDirect in October 2025, we need greater awareness, better governance (legislation to enable the creation of Marine Protected Areas by “sub-national governments and coastal communities”), and local governments and groups to be able to effectively create and manage Marine Protected Areas. This requires adequate financial and human resources. And it’s been proven that it doesn’t have a negative impact on fishing and therefore livelihoods. Conserving regions produces more fish and other life, and creatures leave the protected zones, thereby providing fisher-men and -women with fish (or whatever they are aiming to catch).
In contrast, what we are doing is literally destroying the ocean and its bed, leaving no life at all. How is that going to provide fish for the livelihoods of those out fishing? Ocean life is rapidly decreasing, due to overfishing, pollution, and climate change. At this rate there will soon be nothing left to catch, if that’s all you’re worried about. Forget about the planet and life other than humans, right! Who cares?! Oh, wait, without other creatures, we would also cease to exist.
Conclusion
If you conserve, you’ll provide more fish to catch. It’s a bit like farming, although it isn’t farming. When you farm, you are essentially conserving to provide more of something. As a result, it’s possible to feed people more easily. This is a similar concept, but one where you conserve and then only use the surplus. But the surplus could fill the rest of the ocean, if enough area is preserved. We would have more, not less. It has to be done, along with other conservation and environmental and climate protection measures, or we’ll all die, to be blunt. So ask yourself, what can I do to help? How can I help save life on Earth, including humanity?