10 Things YOU can do to Protect our Oceans

GEOGRAPHY 6250 class 'Conservation and Sustainability of Natural Resources'

This booklet was prepared by the Memorial University Geography 6250 class 'Conservation and Sustainability of Natural Resources,' with the intention of presenting ten recommendations of things that anyone can do to contribute to the protection of the world’s oceans. This list is not exhaustive, but represents ten things that the authors felt were realistically achievable. To download an electronic copy, click here.

Why this handbook?

The world’s marine ecosystem has come under intense stress as humans harvest natural resources at alarming rates, expand cities and towns, put pressure on the world’s food and water supplies and increase industrialization to support a growing and expanding population. This anthropogenic approach has significantly affected the world’s oceans with climate change, pollution and overfishing having a detrimental effect on marine ecosystems around the world.

Many people in the world, including Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, depend on the ocean for their livelihood. The province’s evolution has been shaped by its dependence on the ocean and marine health affects the social, economic and cultural well‐being of its people. Despite a lack of effective global marine protection regulations and oversight by governing bodies, can individuals make a difference by practicing and encouraging responsible marine stewardship to support conservation and sustainability of the planet’s ocean environments?

This booklet presents ten recommendations that can be practiced by individuals, businesses, communities and the population in general to encourage and foster sound and responsible marine environmental health.