Biodiversity in our oceans is at risk. The coral reefs in particular are under extreme threat: Globally, almost one third has already been destroyed. As UN General Secretary António Guterres said in his address to open the United Nations’ Ocean Conference in 2017: “The situation is critical.”

There are several reasons for this critical situation:

• Climate change is causing corals to die. Oceans play a key role in regulating the climate. Our seas and oceans are warming up, which is killing off corals. They also absorb one third of CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions found in the atmosphere. If the air’s carbon dioxide level increases, oceans also absorb larger amounts of the gas in order to restore balance. The CO₂ dissolves in the water, producing carbonic acid, and as a result, the pH level of the water falls: the water becomes more acidic. Sensitive calcareous creatures such as corals, calcareous algae and shellfish react to this and die.
• Pollution in our oceans threatens marine life and their habitats: Nine million tonnes of plastic waste enter our oceans every year. In addition, the thousands of tonnes of oil and oil-based fuels such as fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals put our seas and oceans under strain.
• Deep-sea fishing is not regulated properly. The growing global appetite for seafood has lead us to plunder the oceans and disrupt ecosystems. Overfishing poses a huge threat to the health of our seas and the survival of its inhabitants.
• The aquarium industry and the zoo industry raid coral reefs: Almost all species of corals and coral fish traded internationally come from the wild. Up to 80% of the animals die during capture, handling and transport ‒ before they even reach an aquarium.
• Trade in endangered animals and plants continues to be permitted: Despite the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the uncontrolled trade of many animals still exists ‒ including many marine species ‒ even though they are at risk of extinction.