Build ecosystem resilience to help respond to the unknown

We must take action to elevate the importance of things like genetic and biological diversity, habitat complexity and connectivity and ensuring adequate population sizes of marine species; it also means tackling other ocean impacts, such as from pollution like plastics that threaten ocean health.

Supporting Case Study

International

The Chesapeake Bay has been experiencing a significant recovery along several metrics in recent years, even in the face of a clearly changing climate. Efforts to reduce nutrient loading, runoff and sedimentation from upstream farms, halt overfishing and restore waterways, among other interventions, have increased system resilience by reducing multiple sources of stress. The result has been significant recovery of many aspects of the ecosystem. These include an increase in eel grass and blue crab abundance, an increase in abundance of benthic organisms and a decline in undesirable conditions (such as harmful algal blooms). This example shows that with some assistance, ecosystems can rebound in the face of climate change.

Learn more here: How can coral reef ecosystems be resilient to climate change?

How to build resilience...

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