The ocean plays a crucial role in giving us a livable climate, economies that allow human beings to flourish, and health ecosystems that preserve biological diversity. Long-term disturbances to this interconnected, global system are difficult to detect, but they have severe consequences for life on land and in water.

The ocean is estimated to be worth $24 trillion, and each year it provides $2.5 trillion in goods and services to the global economy. For the nearly 2.4 billion people living within 100 km of the coast, the conservation of this resource is crucial.