A risk assessment for the remote ocean: the case of the South East Atlantic

By by Niner HJ, Rees SE, La Bianca G, McQuaid KA, Howell KL

“Degradation of the natural world and associated ecosystem services is attributed to a historical failure to include its ‘value’ in decision-making. Uncertainty in the quantification of the relationship between natural capital ‘assets’ that give rise to critical societal benefits and people is one reason for the omission of these values from natural resource management. As this uncertainty increases in marine systems and further still with distance from the coast, the connection between society and natural capital assets is less likely to be included adequately in decision-making. Natural capital assets of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), including those of the deep sea, are distant but are known to generate many benefits for society, from the diffuse and broad-scale benefits of climate regulation to the provision of wild fish for food…”

Related SDGs:

  • Reduced inequality
  • Sustainable cities and communities
  • Climate action
  • Life below water