24 Introduction
Chapter 5 focuses on biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. It examines the major threats to biodiversity including habitat destruction, over exploitation, pollution, invasive species and climate change. At the fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in 2022, sustainable development goal 14.5 – conserve coastal and marine areas, was accelerated to conserve 30% of marine and coastal areas by 2030. There are a number of challenges and factors that need to be considered to achieve this ambitious target. Innovative marine science, education and social inclusion are key to achieving this goal.
Learning Goals
By the end of this chapter you should:
- Identify the main threats to marine biodiversity and ecosystems
- Evaluate marine conservation management strategies
- Apply conservation management strategies to different scenarios
- Understand the complexity of sustainable conservation management incorporating the three pillars of sustainability
- Explain how genetic and genomic tools can be used to aid and inform conservation management
- Evaluate the importance of local marine stewardship and ocean defenders in marine biodiversity and ecosystem conservation
