The First-Ever Comprehensive Assessment of Ocean Health
The Ocean Health Index gives the world’s ocean a “60” out of “100.”
The Index charts new territory, and for the first time ever sets up a world standard for gauging ocean health. Scientists and marine experts calculated sustainable standards for the many ways we use the ocean, and offer hard numbers to show how close or far each country is to a balanced use of the sea. You can view the project and results at www.oceanhealthindex.org
Researchers hope that the Ocean Health Index builds awareness of the state of the world’s ocean, and works as a catalyst and guide for business and government decision-makers to develop effective policies promoting ocean health.
- Establish a new world standard for measuring ocean health
- Influence decision-makers and raise global awareness to generate positive and dramatic action for improved ocean governance and healt
Ten Human Goals
For the first time ever, the Ocean Health Index measures the factors that affect ocean health negatively and positively AND how successfully people sustainably gain the optimal amount of benefits that the ocean can provide. Human life depends on the seas in countless ways—food, jobs, biodiversity, carbon storage, protection of shores, among others. But until now, we had no methodology to calculate the trade-offs between these needs; policy-makers had no way to get a comprehensive picture of their country’s marine activities. For the first time ever, the Index identifies ten vital needs, tracks the impact of human activities on these needs, and creates a baseline of data that can be used to measure progress or decline. Every country with a coastline can adapt it to analyze their marine use and help to focus on priorities.
The Ocean Health Index defines a healthy ocean as one that sustainably delivers a range of benefits to people both now and in the future. A healthy ocean is one that can maintain or increase benefits (food and services) in the long term, without jeopardizing the health or function of the marine web of life that provides these benefits.
Why it's time for the Ocean Health Index
The ocean nurtures and sustains us physically (food), ecologically (biodiversity), economically (livelihoods), culturally (sense of place) and in other ways. The ocean is our most valuable asset. It holds more than 98% of the space where life exists, 97% of the planet’s water, produces more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere, and regulates the earth’s climate.
As of today, more than one billion people depend on fish for their basic protein. By 2050, the ocean may need to produce 70% more food to be able to meet the growing demands of 9 billion people.
The sheer number of people who use and depend on the ocean, coupled with unwise practices we adopt, have caused problems such as overharvesting of resources, reduction in biodiversity, degradation of marine habitats and risk of extinction of species, among others. We jeopardize the very ecosystems on which our survival depends.
An Unusual Degree of Collaboration
More comprehensive and ambitious than any single previous marine survey, building the Index was a complicated task involving over 60 experts working in different parts of the world. All were driven by the urgent need to know in quantitative terms where we stand with one of earth’s most precious resources.
Researchers ranged widely over existing marine data, measuring everything from the percentage of live coral covering tropical coral reefs to the percentage of coastal people served by adequate sanitary facilities and the kilograms of shrimp grown on aquaculture farms. They crunched over 200 sets of marine data, and measured each country’s score against reference points that set standards of maximum sustainable use. A goal score of 100 would mean that the evaluated system reached its defined target, sustainably delivering all of the benefits that it can in the present and likely near future. A low goal score means that the maximum benefit is not being obtained and/or is not being obtained in a sustainable way.
The lead scientific partners of the Ocean Health Index are the University of Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Synthesis and Analysis in collaboration with the University of British Columbia’s Sea Around Us. The founding partners are Conservation International, New England Aquarium, and National Geographic Society. Pacific Life Foundation is the Founding Presenting Sponsor. Darden Foundation was a founding donor.
How the Ocean Health Index Will Be Used
More comprehensive and ambitious than any previous evaluative marine survey, building the Index was a complicated task involving over 60 experts working in different parts of the world. All were driven by the urgent need to know in quantitative terms where we stand with one of earth’s most precious resources.
Researchers ranged widely over existing marine data on everything from the percentage of live coral covering tropical coral reefs to the percentage of coastal people served by adequate sanitary facilities and the extent of arctic sea ice. They crunched over 200 sets of marine data, and measured each country’s score against reference points that set standards of maximum sustainable use.
The lead scientific partners of the Ocean Health Index are the University of Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Synthesis and Analysis in collaboration with the University of British Columbia’s Sea Around Us project. The founding partners are Conservation International, New England Aquarium, and National Geographic Society. Pacific Life Foundation is the Founding Presenting Sponsor. Darden Foundation was a founding donor.
Details on methods, results, data layers and other technical information are available at http://www.oceanhealthindex.org/About/Methods/. Hit the ‘Request Paper’ button. An email form will pop up on your screen. Send it and you will immediately receive links to pdfs of the scientific paper and supplementary online information that you can read or print.
How the Ocean Health Index Is Being Used
The Index can be used globally, regionally or for an individual bay. It allows for direct comparison across different aspects of ocean health and different locations in a way that is not possible with current assessment tools.
A goal score of 100 means that the evaluated system reached its defined target, sustainably delivering all of the benefits that it can in the present and likely near future. A low goal score means that the maximum benefit is not being obtained and/or is not being obtained in a sustainable way.
Conservation International has been working around the world to help countries improve their marine health—whether supporting communities in establishing marine protected areas in Indonesia, creating a cross-border sanctuary for baby turtles around Turtle Islands in the Philippines and Malaysia, or collaborating with governments to protect large, inter-connected swaths of ocean called seascapes. With the CI’s participation in the Ocean Health Index, we will be able to offer scientists and communities where we work---and elsewhere--- a method and baseline of data to measure progress or trends away from sustainable use.
Focal studies are nearing completion for Brazil, Fiji and the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem of the U.S. Several others are in progress. Results of those studies will show how the Index can be applied at national levels using country-level data; and how quality and quantity of data may influence scores. Other countries considering using the Index for country-level or regional assessment include China, Colombia, Ecuador and the 10 countries belonging to the Nairobi Convention (Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and the Republic of South Africa) Countries that create their own Ocean Health Index scores using local data for calculations will create more precise assessments that will be more useful as guides for management.
The Ocean Health Index Founding Sponsors
Beau and Heather Wrigley generously provided the founding grant to the Ocean Health Index. Mr. and Mrs. Wrigley brought together the best in business thinking and marine conservation; they were early originators of the Ocean Health Index concept and nurtured its development through their leadership of the Ocean Health Council. Since 2007, Mr. and Mrs. Wrigley have provided vision, support and leadership to this project. Mr. Wrigley is a Board member at Conservation International, co-chair of CI’s Ocean Health Council, the former Chairman and CEO of the William Wrigley, Jr. Company, and an avid SCUBA-diver.
The Pacific Life Foundation has a strong tradition of creating positive societal change through its grant making program. The Foundation made a commitment in 2011 to become the Founding Presenting Sponsor of the Ocean Health Index as it has the potential to stimulate a reversal in ocean health, from negative to positive. It will be a valuable tool for citizens and policymakers to track the health of the global ocean, as well as the health of their regional and local ocean. We hope that the tools provided through the Index will enable and inspire policymakers to improve ocean governance and health.
Established in 1984 and headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, the Pacific Life Foundation is the charitable giving arm of Pacific Life Insurance Company and, during that time, has contributed over $68 million in donations to thousands of nonprofits.