"Wanted! Seas and Oceans - Dead or Alive?"
5 June 2004

Message from Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Environment Day 2004

The world's oceans and their adjacent seas, along with the living and non-living resources they contain, are essential for the survival of life as we know it. The sustainability of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the climate in which we live is dependent upon the health of our oceans and seas.

Coastal areas bordering oceans and seas are the home of 50% of the world's population. Forty-four of the world's nations are small island developing states (SIDS) which are especially dependent on oceans. Oceans, coasts and islands support a wide array of human activities of great value and significance. Fisheries, for example, are important economically and socially, providing livelihoods directly and indirectly for 400 million people. Marine aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry that accounts for 30 percent of global fish consumption. Moreover, the travel and tourism industry is the fastest growing sector of the global economy, especially with regard to coastal and marine areas.

The diverse activities undertaken in oceans, coasts and islands are placing increasing pressure on the integrity of coastal and marine ecosystems, whose resources are threatened by over-exploitation. Today, 75 percent of global fisheries are either fully utilized or over-utilized; 70 percent of 126 marine mammal species are threatened; 50 percent of the world's mangroves have been lost; and important seagrass habitats are rapidly being destroyed. The quest for food security for a growing human population is leading to intensified agricultural production reliant upon the increased application of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, thereby contributing to the degradation of coastal and marine ecosystems.

The ocean environment is complex and inaccessible. It is difficult and expensive to study. Furthermore, national and international jurisdictions, regional and global agreements and conflicting priorities bring added complications. As a result, inter-governmental cooperation is imperative if global issue are to be addressed and resolved. This requires strong global and regional institutions that bring scientists, researchers and policy-makers together. It also requires the involvement and full participation of local communities and stakeholders that are in direct relation with the marine environment and its protection. Moreover, future ocean-related developments, such as the exploitation and management of newly accessible resources, will certainly require a coherent and integrated approach to international cooperation as well as a careful stewardship of fragile environments.

The protection of oceans and seas is a theme of particular interest to UNESCO. As the sole UN organization specialized in ocean science and services, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO has been fully engaged during the last 44 years in improving our understanding of the oceans and its resources, and notably by federating countries and partners to build a Global Ocean Observing System.

UNESCO has always sought to bring the power of science and technology to bear upon the needs of oceans, coasts and islands, and this continues to require that the results of science are made widely available to governments and the different segments of society. In addition, UNESCO has placed great emphasis on the need to preserve our common natural and cultural heritage. Indeed, the conjunction between science and culture, between natural heritage and cultural heritage, and between socio-economic development and environmental protection serves to place UNESCO at the heart of contemporary efforts to ensure the sustainable development of oceans, coasts and islands.

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in August/September 2002, Governments agreed on an action plan, with specific targets and timetables for action, to address the many problems and threats facing the sustainable development of oceans, coasts and islands. These targets and timetables represent an important global consensus, reached at the highest political levels, on the need for urgent action. The assumption underpinning this agenda for action is that the world is still capable of making significant choices but time is running out. If we do too little too late, in effect we will be choosing to let our oceans and seas die.

On World Environment Day, UNESCO reaffirms its commitment to sustainable development in general and to the sustainable development and protection of the ocean environment in particular. In the face of the stark alternatives before us, the making of timely and informed choices is crucial if our oceans, seas and islands are to remain alive.

Kochïro Matsuura