Marine Ecosystems

The ocean, one of the most favourite holiday destinations, we love to swim in it, take long walks by it and even dream of living close to it, but let’s take a look at the bigger picture, it produces 70% of our oxygen, it is responsible for driving the Earths weather systems, it feeds up to 1 billion people every year, 10-12% of the world’s population relies on fishing related activities for their livelihood, from this perspective it’s easy to see why we as human beings, the most powerful creatures on this earth should be responsible for looking after our beloved ocean, however with that said we are in fact endangering it with unsustainable fishing methods, polluting the ocean, killing off coral reefs and marine ecosystems, all of this starts

• Damaging sensitive marine habitats through destructive fishing methods.

• The capture of bycatch species which refers to species of marine life that are caught through fishing methods, however are not the targeted species for consumption.

WWF is addressing the problem by working with governments and fisheries to implement a more holistic Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) management. This approach moves away from a single-species focus and seeks to protect and enhance the marine ecosystem health as a whole; this will benefit and balance the diverse needs and values of the present and future generations.

WWF has promoted sustainable living by utilising the EAF management system in order to regulate the over –harvesting of fish, this in turn allows for a steady increase in the population of fish until an equilibrium has been reached in which there is enough fish in the ocean to feed a certain amount of people, this solves a present problem without compromising or risking future generations. WWF work along the full supply chain from direct engagement with the fishing industries to public- facing engagement through WWF- Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative. This awareness raising initiative empowers retailers, restaurants, chefs and

“Everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being.”

(Section 24 of the constitution enshrines the right to- the Environment, 2017)

WWF has long term goals that they would like to achieve, one being that they would like to stop harmful or incorrect fishing practices, steadily decrease the over-harvesting of marine species and protect marine ecosystems, it will take time however there will be a slow but steady decline to these marine issues, as long as WWF brands and markets themselves correctly, the initiative will gain more awareness and will eventually be very successful.

WWF is a world renowned environmental organisation that has contributed a lot of time and effort into making a difference in our world, WWF is an inspiring organisation with accurate data and information, this helps serve as a philosophical foundation for my work. The organisation has worked hard it allows it to be promoted through branding, this allows the organisation to grow, much like it has over the last few year. The fact that more and more people are getting involved in the environmental issues around the world shows you that WWF has branded themselves correctly and have found a niche in which the organisation can thrive. (Marine,