Sustainable Development Goal 14
life below the water
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About Life Below Water
The Global Context
What’s happening in Australia?
What’s happening in Australian Schools?
What you can do about it
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. How we manage this vital resource is essential for humanity as a whole, and to counter balance the effects of climate change.
The SDGs aim to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution, as well as address the impacts of ocean acidification. Enhancing conservation and the sustainable use of ocean-based resources through international law will also help mitigate some of the challenges facing our oceans. Source
It's hard to imagine, but about 97 percent of the Earth's water can be found in our oceans. Of the tiny percentage that's not in the ocean, about two percent is frozen up in glaciers and ice caps. Less than one percent of all the water on Earth is fresh. A tiny fraction of water exists as water vapor in our atmosphere.
Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. However, today we are seeing 30 percent of the world’s fish stocks overexploited, reaching below the level at which they can produce sustainable yields.
Oceans also absorb about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide produced by humans, and we are seeing a 26 percent rise in ocean acidification since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Marine pollution, an overwhelming majority of which comes from land-based sources, is reaching alarming levels, with an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic litter to be found on every square kilometre of ocean.
What’s happening in Australia?
water is precious
Australia is the hottest, driest inhabited continent on earth, it’s critical we all respect water as a precious resource Do we think and talk about water only when we are in drought?
Do we complain about the price of water, but are happy to pay $3 a bottle for it at the shop?
Do urban residents think differently about water to people living in rural and regional areas?
Do we know enough about our water resources to understand if governments and industry and the community are protecting our water supply for now and the future?
Is government, business, and the community doing enough to ensure Australia’s marine environment is healthy, productive, valued and used in a responsible way.
Even though Australia is one of the world's most arid continents, our inland waters support a rich diversity of life. In the video below, Dr Carmel Pollino talks about Australia's unique inland water ecosystems and how water can best be managed for the benefit of biodiversity and our communities.
Human activity has modified the natural environment and this has led to many environmental problems or issues.
One of the most significant of these issues is water pollution.
Management of healthy catchments while maintaining the productivity and sustainability of the natural environment is a key challenge for the future and requires a whole of catchment approach.
It is clear that what happens upstream in our water catchments affects what happens to our oceans.
What is a Catchment?
A catchment is an area where water is collected by the natural landscape. In a catchment, all rain and run-off water eventually flows to a creek, river, dam, lake, a groundwater system and ocean.
Why Protect Our Catchments?
Human activities such as urban development, agriculture, septic systems and land clearing have the potential to impact the health of our catchments.
Caring for our rivers, dams, groundwater and ocean environments helps ensure healthy catchments and provides our community with:
- clean drinking water
- natural areas for recreation
- habitat for plants and animals
- healthy vegetation and waterways
- reliable and clean water for stock and irrigation
- opportunities for sustainable agriculture and industry
The MidCoast Council on the NSW coast is taken a proactive approach to maintain the health of their catchment and engaging with everyone in their community and encouraging them to act together.
The council recently released their Water Card Report
WATER CARD REPORT DOWNLOAD
The role of Agriculture
Agriculture and food production uses 70% of water in Australia. The role of agriculture in the health of waterways is important. Farmers have a responsibility to ensure their farming methods provide nutritious, affordable and safe food and protect our waterways.
Farmers share a common goal in encouraging their fellow landholders to enhance and protect their waterways and to benefit from the resulting on-farm gains.
"Intensive farming with increased farm productivity can go hand in hand with waterway health. We are all in this together and we need to engage all stakeholders and people of all ages to work effectively towards a common vision of clean air and clean water for everyone." Lynne Strong MidCoast Water Report Launch 2016.
The best outcomes for healthy catchments and our oceans are achieved when all farmers focus on
- Fencing their waterways and stabilising the banks of their streams and rivers
- Excluding their livestock from the waterways.
- Reducing weeds on their farms.
- Revegetating the banks of waterways using indigenous plant species.
- Monitoring fertiliser use and ensure fertiliser does not runoff into waterways.
- Maintaining groundcover on their farms to prevent soil and fertiliser ending up in waterways.
A great example of farmers and government and the environmental groups working together to protect the health of our oceans is the Reef Guardian Farmers and Graziers project.
Reef Guardian Farmers and Graziers are forward-thinking landholders who want to show how they are doing their bit to care for the Great Barrier Reef as responsible land managers.
These farmers and graziers are promoting sustainable farming practices that make economic sense and are also good for the environment.
The program is building a way to recognise and support the efforts of participants who are doing great work to manage natural resources through effective land management.
Industrial impacts
Mining, manufacturing, and other industries use about 20% of all water consumed in Australia. They use water in cities and in some fully or over-allocated rural systems, placing them under the same pressures as other users to use water more efficiently and in a way that does not impact negatively on the health of the wider catchment and our oceans.
Urban impacts
Runoff from urban and suburban areas is a major origin of water pollution. Much of the urban environment is paved with asphalt or concrete, or covered with buildings. These surfaces are usually impervious, meaning that water runs off of them without being absorbed into the soil. These hard, impervious surfaces make it easier for stormwater to pick up, absorb, and carry pollutants.
Other environments in urban and suburban areas also add to water pollution. At construction sites, soil that has been disturbed or piled up without being contained can easily erode. Discarded construction materials (plastics, wood, oils, trash) can also be carried away from these sites by runoff waters.
In suburban areas, the chemicals used in lawn care, and even pet wastes, often end up in runoff and contribute to nonpoint source pollution. In many towns and cities, the water flowing into storm drains is not treated before emptying into nearby waterbodies.
Surfrider Foundation South Coast Branch in collaboration with the local Council is stencilling drains across Wollongong to raise awareness about land based pollution ending up in our oceans. The campaign is targeting all land based waste with a focus on plastic pollution and the dumping of cigarette butts. Local volunteers will continue to work with the local government to expand the program and hold a series of community education outreach events.
Water for marine life
Australia's oceans contain the richest, most diverse life on Earth. We have the third largest marine territory (behind the United States and France), and our continent borders three mighty oceans - the Pacific, Indian and Southern Ocean.
Such global significance brings a global responsibility. We have a privilege and a duty to manage our oceans wisely and with the future in mind. Source
Life originated in the ocean but the breadth of its biodiversity is still being discovered. Australian scientists Dr Alan Butler and Dr Nic Bax talk about the unique habitats of the sea, the challenges it poses to exploration, and the new tools and technologies helping to discover and manage the biodiversity it holds. Source
The marine debris issue
Marine Debris is a global issue and our dependence on plastics and the development into a throwaway society has had huge ramifications for our oceans. With much of our waste ending up in our oceans due to urban runoff, littering, and other sources around the globe, we now face a very serious issue which is threatening life on earth.
Who is doing great things?
In Australia, we have the two superhero organisations Ocean Watch and Take3 who are taking the lead and inspiring us all to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources to ensure sustainable development.
Visit their websites and see what you and your community can do to help.
Speaking of Superheros
Meet Tim Silverwood who is working with government, industry and education to create solutions for a cleaner tomorrow.
Tim Silverwood - How did our lives become so plastic?
