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| Calendar: | elma.pollard@gmail.com |
| Title: | National Marine Week |
| When: | 14.10.2013 - 20.10.2013 |
| Location: | SA |
| Description: | National Marine Week is celebrated every year during the third week of October. The aim of National Marine Week is to create awareness of the marine and coastal environment and the benefits that our coasts and oceans and their resources provide us with. This year’s theme – Southern Ocean: It is the small things that count – focuses on plankton. Although much emphasis is placed on other, larger marine species, plankton form the basis of marine food webs. It promotes using the resources from our oceans and coast in a sustainable way for the benefit of present and future generations. The aim of sustainable development is to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is an opportunity for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (the lead driver for National Marine Week) and marine stakeholders to undertake national and regional awareness programmes to raise awareness on our marine environment and its resources. Oceans make up 70% of the planet‘s surface and around 60% of the earth‘s human population live along the coast. South Africa is bordered by the Atlantic and the Indian oceans, which have individual currents, ecosystems and marine living resources. In addition to being an area for human settlement and development the coast is valuable for commerce, recreation, culture and history. Oceans globally have been negatively affected during the past century due to competing and greedy resource utilisation, resulting in the present-day situation where about 75% of commercial marine species are classified as over-exploited. Less than 1% of the ocean is within formally protected areas. It is estimated that over 40% of Africa's population derives its livelihood from coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. This percentage will increase with human migration and demographic patterns, increasing pressures on marine ecosystems. It is urgent for us to embrace responsible and ecosystem-based practices that are sustainable for present and future generations. Join the Fight for a Healthy Ocean: www.oceanconservancy.org |
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