Environment and Conservation
This report presents an assessment of the social and economic importance of three priority activities contributing to physical alteration and destruction of habitats (PADH) within the coastal and marine environments on the well-being of countries in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. These activities include:
Countries in the Western Indian Ocean are endowed with coastal and marine ecosystems rich in biodiversity and luxuriant resources that are important to the wellbeing of their people. However, these resources are under pressure from a variety of natural and man-made factors, including; resource overexploitation, pollution, unplanned coastal development and climate change. Marine litter is becoming a significant contributor to marine pollution in the World Oceans and Western Indian Ocean (WIO), is not exempt. Over 80% of marine pollution that constitute marine litter
This dataset shows the global distribution of seagrasses, and is composed of two subsets of point and polygon occurrence data. The data were compiled by UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre in collaboration with many collaborators (e.g.
Bioconstructions such as coralligenous outcrops and maërl beds are typical Mediterranean underwater seascapes. Fine-scale knowledge on the distribution of these sensitive habitats is crucial for their effective management and conservation. In the present study, a thorough review of existing spatial datasets showing the distribution of coralligenous and maërl habitats across the Mediterranean Sea was undertaken, highlighting current gaps in knowledge.
Knowing less about the deep sea habitats than the surface of the moon Most scientifi c studies have focused on easily accessible coastal waters and surface ocean. Only a small percentage of the deep seafl oor has been subject to biological investigation. Revealing the natural beauty and ecological value of deep sea habitats With the technological advances of the past few decades, much has been added to our knowledge of deep sea habitats, and people have begun to realize the value and importance of this large and remote habitat to life on Earth.
