“Reviving the Oceans Economy: The Case for Action—2015 brings into focus the economic value our oceans represent for this planet, as the future of humanity depends on their healthy living conditions. While figures in the report are a vast underestimation, the economic assets at risk accurately portray the losses we will incur should we continue on the current destructive trajectory…Without a healthy ocean, our future prosperity – indeed, life on Earth as we know it – is in jeopardy. It may be because of its mysterious nature and appearance of infinity that the ocean has been subject to relentless exploitation. While the consequences have been largely neglected, many have been working for decades to protect the ocean’s species and places. Together, scientists, communities, governments and organizations like WWF have had some important successes: rescuing fisheries from the brink of collapse, saving species from imminent threat and sparing critical habitats from destruction. Yet these successes have not kept pace with the growing pressures on our ocean. This invaluable resource that feeds, employs and inspires us, and makes our planet habitable, is showing serious signs of failing health. The threats to the ocean are well documented. Even the solutions are fairly well known. It is political and corporate will that remain elusive. We continue to take the ocean for granted, perhaps because the poor communities that are most dependent on ocean resources lack power and influence, and turtles do not vote. Policymakers and corporate executives have not had a mechanism to account for the real costs of exploiting ocean resources. So, while they may have some knowledge of declining fish stocks, coral bleaching or mangrove deforestation, the implications and the scale of the impact on our well-being and prosperity have not sunk in. This report clearly spells out what we all stand to lose if the mismanagement of ocean assets continues. Recognizing that science alone is an insufficient motivator, we have combined the evidence of serious environmental degradation with an economic case for urgent action. Working with the eminent scientist Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and in collaboration with leading business consultancy The Boston Consulting Group, WWF looked at the implications that leaders should consider based on current policies and practices. The results illustrate the economic case for ocean conservation in stark terms. The economic value of coastal and oceanic environments is valued conservatively at US$2.5 trillion each year, and the overall value of the ocean as an asset is 10 times that.”