Restoring UK’S seas could boost economy, create jobs and help climate
Restoring the UK'S seas from their damaged state could give a £50 billion boost to the economy, create thousands of new jobs and help the climate crisis, a report says.
The study by WWF and Sky Ocean Rescue warns that a third of the UK'S fisheries are overfished, while there have been huge declines in important habitats such as seagrass meadows, oyster reefs and salt marshes.
Just 1 per cent of the waters around the UK are fully protected and in 2019 the seas failed to meet government standards on environmental health in 11 out of 15 areas, including those relating to birds, fish and seabed habitats.
If the UK carries on with business as usual, the loss of coastal ecosystems and fisheries would cost the UK £15 billion a year by 2050, the report warned.
But there are huge benefits to be reaped by investing in restoring the seas, it argues.
WWF and Sky Ocean Rescue are calling on UK governments to commit to a ten-year ocean recovery strategy in the first half of 2021, with an action plan to deliver the recovery by 2030.
The strategy must include action on restoring lost coastal habitats, fully protecting a third of the UK'S seas, making fisheries and seafood production nature and climate friendly and supporting net-zero climate action in shipping and offshore renewables, they urge.
According to the report, investment in restoring the seas could deliver an additional £50bn in benefits by 2050 including:
–Healthy co as tale cosystems such as seagrass and salt marshes can capture a third of the UK'S 2018 emissions, worth £10.1bn, and save more than £6bn in artificial flood defences.
– Sustainably deploying offshore renewables will bring £26bn in benefits.
–Better management of marine protected areas can deliver up to £10.5bn of recreational and other benefits.
– Rebuilding fish stocks and improving fishing could allow the UK to land an extra 442,000 tonnes of fish every year, worth £440 million and support an extra 6,600 jobs, while there would also be carbon storage and fuel efficiency gains worth millions more.