Management

Providing a comprehensive account of marine conservation, this book examines human use and abuse of the world's seas and oceans and their marine life, and the various approaches to management and conservation. Healthy marine ecosystems - the goods and services that they provide - are of vital importance to human wellbeing. There is a pressing need for a global synthesis of marine conservation issues and approaches.

Each year, approximately 300,000 reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus) are harvested from the wild in Indonesia and Malaysia to supply skins for the international trade in exotic leathers. Concerns have been raised about the sustainability of such a high level of off-take, along with issues related to illegal trade and humane treatment of snakes.

This publication is a result of Blue Solutions’ second Regional Forum on Solutions for Oceans, Coasts and Human Well-being in Latin America and the Wider Caribbean Region. This four-day workshop was held in Cancún, Mexico in April 2015.

Mangroves provide an array of benefits to coastal communities, but in spite of their many values, mangroves in Asia continue to be converted to other land uses and sustainable financing for their protection has not been forthcoming.

Our oceans and coasts are the origin of life on earth, an important food source, and crucial for the global ecological equilibrium,  yet despite their global significance, marine and coastal ecosystems face a wide array of threats. It was in the spirit of making enhanced concerted efforts at the global, regional, national and local levels that the Blue Solutions Initiative was created.

This guide has been written to inspire and empower reef managers and community leaders to develop reef stewardship programs. Stewardship is a way of empowering local communities to take a more active role in sustaining the natural resources on which they depend.

UNESCO biosphere reserves are regions that resemble protected areas, but go far beyond mere protection.

UNESCO biosphere reserves are regions that resemble protected areas, but go far beyond mere protection.