Oceans can be restored by 2050
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The recent recovery of whales, seals and other marine species have allowed scientists to formulate a plan showing how the glory of the world’s oceans could be restored within a generation
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RECOVERY TRENDS OF MARINE POPULATIONS
Number of individuals*

Northern elephant seal (births) West U.S.

Guadalupe fur seal Mexico

Baltic Sea grey seal

Baltic Sea cormorant (pairs)

Humpback whale East Australia

Green turtle Japan

Sea otter West Canada

Leatherback turtle Virgin Islands

10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
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Proportion of marine species assessed as threatened with global extinction by IUCN† down from 18% in 2000 to 11.4% in 2019
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Protection of habitats, sustainable fishing and pollution controls
are essential for success
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Climate change, which is raising sea levels and making waters more acidic, is major hurdle
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Plan estimated to cost $10-20bn per year to rebuild marine life by 2050. But each dollar invested expected to return $10
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*Units adjusted to common scale, †International Union for Conservation of Nature

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Sources: Nature, Carlos M. Duarte Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS