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Now is the time to secure a new future for the ocean – and for ourselves.
The ocean is Earth's primary life support system – every living being on the planet exists because of it. The ocean comprises 70 percent of our planet's surface and nearly 98 percent of its viable living space.
By delivering food for billions, regulating the Earth's climate and performing a score of other ecological services, including serving as home to millions of species from snails to sharks, the ocean provides for us all. It is the ecological engine that powers our survival.
However, the ocean is sick. In the last century, multiple pressures – including unsustainable fishing, global climate change, habitat destruction, invasive species and pollution – have led to a crippling decline in ocean health.
The Global Marine Division is addressing these challenges head on, conducting the science we need to make informed decisions and designing innovative solutions to counter the challenges facing the ocean.