It’s frightening, but true… a third of all the world’s seagrasses have been lost in just a single human generation*
Populations of marine mammals, birds, plants and fish are in serious decline globally… including those that live right here, in the vast stretches of saltwater of which we are guardians. If we lose them from our waters, they are lost to the world forever!
Consider these Facts
- More than 90% of Australia’s shellfish reefs have now disappeared
- In the 20th Century, the world’s seagrasses declined by over 30%
- Between 1980 and 2005, nearly 20% of all mangrove cover globally was lost
- At least four turtle species (Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Green and Loggerhead) are listed as endangered or critically endangered
- Between 1970 and 2012, species of fish including tuna, mackerel and bonito, declined by as much as 75%
- One in four species of sharks, rays and skates is now threatened with extinction, which has a terrible flow-on effect for the marine ecosystem
- Many marine molluscs like nudibranchs are becoming increasingly rare due to pollution, loss of suitable habitats and biodiversity decline.
*Hoegh, Guldberg et al., 2015
Our Ocean’s ‘vital organs’ are suffering
Plants and animals that represent the equivalent of our own vital organs are in danger… yet so much of the marine ecosystem depends on their good health.
- Just as our human kidneys filter the bloodstream and remove waste products, shellfish like oysters and mussels filter and clean seawater
- They provide food for foraging fish
- They protect our shoreline asbarriers to storms and tides
- Like our lungs, seagrasses and mangroves produce large quantities of oxygen, allowing healthy marine ecosystems to ‘breathe’
- Mangroves maintain water quality and clarity in estuaries, filtering pollutants and trapping sediments
- They provide shelter and protection to fish, prawns, seahorses, crabs and molluscs
- And seagrass fronds themselves serve as an important food source for marine life such as turtles and dugongs
Together, we can make a difference!
With your help, FNPW will fund vital research projects aimed at improving the sustainability of seagrass beds and mangrove forests in order to slow or halt their decline, and the conservation, restoration and management of precious marine ecosystems. In time, this research could save entire species from extinction!
Thank you for supporting this important campaign.
Ian Darbyshire
Chief Executive Officer
Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
Banner image photo by Arnie Locsin