GENEVA,14th March, 2025 (WAM) -- Ocean degradation threatens communities and affects human rights worldwide, including the right to a healthy environment, a UN independent expert said today.
“The protection of marine ecosystems is part of States’ obligations to protect human rights,” said Astrid Puentes Riaño, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
In her report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur stressed that the degradation of the ocean threatens humanity and exacerbates inequalities and disproportionately affects marginalised populations.
“Knowing the interdependence and interconnectedness of humans and ecosystems with the ocean is essential to understanding the current impacts on this delicate balance, even for those living inland,” Puentes Riaño said. She noted that these linkages include food systems, healthy ecosystems, a safe climate and the work of ocean defenders.
“The ocean is the largest biome on Earth, covering 70% of its surface. One third of the human population (2.4 billion people) live within 100 km of an ocean coast,” she said.
“Despite over 600 agreements, marine ecosystems face pressing threats including climate change, overfishing, extractivism, pollution, and deep-sea mining,” the expert said. Weak governance and enforcement gaps; disproportionate impacts on Indigenous Peoples, small-scale fishers, and coastal communities; escalating violence against ocean defenders, and insufficient accountability exacerbate these issues.
Puentes Riaño called for a holistic, comprehensive, integrated and gender-responsive human rights and ecosystem-based approach to ocean governance. She said the inclusion of ancestral knowledge, the rights of present and future generations, and a long-term vision were crucial to solving the current triple planetary crises and addressing ocean challenges.
“We must mainstream the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment into ocean policies, strengthen international cooperation, and ensure that those most affected lead conservation efforts,” the Special Rapporteur said.
In her report, the expert outlined key recommendations for States, businesses and international organisations, including: strengthening legal protections for marine biodiversity and coastal communities; implementing stricter regulations on overfishing, pollution and offshore extractive industries; enforcing the precautionary principle, all while recognising the role of ocean defenders and indigenous knowledge in marine governance.
The report also recommends for States to support developing countries in marine conservation.
“Without immediate action, we risk losing marine biodiversity, which in turn will impact the lives and human rights of millions of people who depend on the ocean,” Puentes Riaño said.
“We need a clear understanding that ocean issues are human rights issues, and we need to apply this to all ocean-related efforts.”