Nature-Positive Oceans
Nature Positive is a global goal to halt and reverse nature loss measured from a baseline established in 2020. We aim to increase the health, abundance, diversity, and resilience of species, populations, and ecosystems so that by 2030 nature is visibly and measurably on the path of recovery. By 2050, nature must recover so that thriving ecosystems and nature-based solutions can continue to support future generations.
What’s unique about the Nature Positive concept for oceans?
Our oceans are industrializing rapidly and facing multiple, overlapping threats, including upstream impacts from land and freshwater. The ocean is also understudied; at least two-thirds of marine species are unidentified and may go extinct before we even identify them. Despite the challenges, action for the ocean offers many opportunities to reduce climate change, reverse nature loss, and support communities.
How can we all get started?
- Take a holistic approach to consider how humanity both impacts and depends on nature;
- Shift mindsets to move beyond mitigating harm to also regenerating biodiversity and transforming systems to heal our broken relationship with nature;
- Use inclusive, participatory processes that incorporate diverse science and knowledge, including from Indigenous peoples and local communities.
What do we need to do urgently?
Everyone has a role to play in contributing to a nature-positive future for our oceans. We urge all actors—especially the most powerful—to contribute now to a nature-positive future.
- Science is clear: healthy natural systems are the foundation for a future in which humanity doesn’t just survive, but also thrives. The transformation to a nature-positive future means giving back to nature more than we take from it in ways that are credible, equitable, and sustainable. We are outlining a pathway forward that notes not only the benefits of working toward nature-positive outcomes but also the urgency with which we must act.
Nature-positive future
We all have a part to play in the transition to a nature-positive future. If you have a bank account or eat seafood, you have the power to help us move toward better outcomes by asking questions about how your funds are invested and making sustainable choices. And we need individual actions to coalesce toward collective actions that drive significant societal transformations toward environmental sustainability.
WWF is working across sectors, disciplines, and institutions to develop a framework for the transformations needed for a nature-positive future for our oceans. We aim to steer all people—especially the most powerful actors—in the same direction to take the critical and urgent actions needed to protect our oceans.
Nature-positive seascapes that benefit the planet, people, prosperity, and peace
WWF works to deliver nature-positive seascapes—halting the decline of marine environments and regenerating target ecosystems and marine resources.
Our place-based conservation work in seascapes takes an integrated, holistic approach that benefits local communities. We start with a science-based approach to seascape selection, design, and management. We develop specific, measurable targets within a seascape and use an overarching monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework to assess the impacts of the interventions on the planet, people, prosperity, and peace.
Through a partnership mindset, our nature-based solutions drive climate adaptation and resilience, food and livelihood security, peace and security, and healthy oceans outcomes globally.
Private sector solutions for nature-positive outcomes
Our markets work engages businesses to deliver scalable, durable, and nature-positive global oceans solutions, as well as support our nature-positive seascape work.
Engaging businesses for nature-positive outcomes involves addressing their environmental and social footprints, bringing forth green and blue infrastructure solutions, establishing long-term investments in the seascapes where they do business, and driving systemic transformations across sectors including in policy and finance. Our focal sectors are seafood, coastal development, marine renewables, and shipping. In the seafood sector alone, WWF has built more than 80 partnerships with companies that have made sustainable seafood purchasing commitments, touching more than 600 fisheries around the world.
Finance for a sustainable and nature-positive blue economy
The blue economy—all economic activities related to oceans, seas, and coasts—is worth $24 trillion, but declining ocean health and mismanagement of marine resources threaten the future of ocean-based communities and economies. By contrast, a nature-positive and sustainable blue economy significantly benefits the planet, people’s food and job security, economic prosperity, and global peace and security. To achieve this vision, capital must be directed away from destructive activities, and towards those that offer sustainable outcomes; and we must develop new innovative financial products that drive capital into building resilient coastal communities and seascapes, where it is needed the most. WWF is working with major financial institutions to do just that.
Innovation for peaceful, thriving, and nature-positive oceans
The importance of oceans in reducing conflict, crime, and societal instability is on the rise. Therefore, a robust ocean conservation agenda must include natural resource conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and law enforcement capacity building. Under Oceans Futures, WWF offers predictive analytics, early warning, strategic planning, and preventive conservation solutions to current and future conflicts over marine resources.