Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources

Life Below Water


Goal 14 is about conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources. Healthy oceans and seas are essential to human existence and life on Earth.

The Ocean is intrinsic to our life on earth. Covering three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, contain 97 percent of the Earth’s water, and represent 99 percent of the living space on the planet by volume.

They provide key natural resources including food, medicines, biofuels and other products; help with the breakdown and removal of waste and pollution; and their coastal ecosystems act as buffers to reduce damage from storms. They also act as the planet’s greatest carbon sink.

Worryingly, marine pollution is reaching extreme levels, with over 17 million metric tons clogging the ocean in 2021, a figure set to double or triple by 2040. Plastic is the most harmful type of ocean pollution.

Currently, the ocean’s average pH is 8.1 which is about 30 per cent more acidic than in pre- industrial times. Ocean acidification threatens the survival of marine life, disrupts the food web, and undermines vital services provided by the ocean and our own food security.

Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future. This includes increasing funding for ocean science, intensifying conservation efforts, and urgently turning the tide on climate change to safeguard the planet’s largest ecosystem. Current efforts to protect are not yet meeting the urgent need to safeguard this vast, yet fragile, resource.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals

 CCAS 1972 T g

Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean

 1982 T g

Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna

 1993 T g

Convention for the Conservation of the Biodiversity and the Protection of Wilderness Areas in Central America

 1992 T g

Convention for the Conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Environment

 Jeddah convention 1982 Jeddah Saudi Arabia T g

Convention for the Improvement of Sea Communications

 1912 T g

Convention for the Maintenance, Preservation and Reestablishment of Peace

 1936 T g

Convention for the Preservation of Wild Animals, Birds and Fish in Africa

 1900 T g

Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft

 Oslo Convention 1972 T g

Convention for the Prohibition of Fishing with Long Driftnets in the South Pacific

 1989 T g

Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region

 Cartagena Convention 1983 Kingston Jamaica T g

Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Area of the Southeast Pacific

 Lima Convention 1981 Guayaquil Ecuador T g

Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean

 Barcelona Convention 1976 Athens Greece T g

Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region

 SPREP convention 1986 Apia Samoa T g

Convention for the Protection on the Marine Environment for the North-East Atlantic

 OSPAR Convention 1992 London UK T g

Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region

 Nairobi Convention 1985 Victoria Seychelles T g

Convention for the Regulation of the Meshes of Fishing Nets and the Size Limits of Fish

 1946 T g

Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

 1931 T g

Convention for the Unification of the Rules Relating to Collisions at Sea

 1910 T g

Convention Internationale pour la Réglementation des Pêches en Mer du Nord

 1882 T g

Convention Internationale sur la Responsabilité et L'indemnisation pour les Dommages Liés au Transport par Mer de Substances Nocives et Potentiellement Dangereuses

 Convention SNPD 1996 T g

Convention of Independent Financial Advisors

 CIFA 2001 Geneva Switzerland G f

Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

 Århus Convention 1998 Geneva Switzerland T g

Convention on Biological Diversity

 Biodiversity convention 1992 Montréal QC Canada T g

Convention on Civil Liability for Damage Resulting from Activities Dangerous to the Environment

 1993 Strasbourg France T g

Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage Resulting from Exploration for and Exploitation of Seabed Mineral Resources

 1977 T g

Convention on Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific

 1976 T g

Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River

 1994 T g

Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment

 1990 T g

Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context

 Espoo Convention 1991 T g

Convention on fisheries and the conservation of living marine resources in the Black Sea

 1993 J gp

Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources in the Baltic Sea and the Belts

 Gdansk convention 1973 T g

Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources of the High Seas

 1958 T g

Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in North-East Atlantic Fisheries, 1980

 1980 T g

Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, 1978

 NAFO 1978 T g

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

 CITES 1973 Geneva Switzerland T g

Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation in the Western Hemisphere

 1940 T g

Convention on Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law

 1998 Strasbourg France T g

Convention on the Conduct of Fishing Operations in the North Atlantic

 1967 T g

Convention on the Conservation and Management of Fishery Resources in the South-East Atlantic Ocean

 2001 T g

Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean

 2009 T g

Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

 Pacific tuna convention 2000 T g

Convention on the Conservation and Management of Pollock in the Central Bering Sea

 1994 T g

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

 CCAMLR 1980 Hobart TAS Australia T g

Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats

 Bern convention 1979 Strasbourg France T g

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

 Bonn Convention 1979 Bonn Germany T g

Convention on the Conservation of the Living Resources of the Southeast Atlantic

 1969 Rome Italy T g

Convention on the Continental Shelf

 1958 T g

Convention on the High Seas

 1958 T g

Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea

 COLREG 1972 London UK T g

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