Protect and restore: integrating marine management to secure the future of coastal ecosystems – Nature

Report on Integrating Marine Protection and Restoration for Sustainable Coastal Ecosystems

Introduction: Aligning Marine Conservation with the Sustainable Development Goals

The global commitment to addressing biodiversity loss, a cornerstone of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, necessitates a strategic integration of marine ecosystem protection and restoration. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly its “30×30” targets, provides a critical roadmap for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). However, progress in the marine realm lags significantly behind terrestrial efforts. Marine ecosystems, which cover 70% of the planet, are vital for climate regulation (SDG 13: Climate Action) and support the livelihoods of billions (SDG 1: No Poverty; SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth). This report, based on the findings of a workshop of marine conservation experts, identifies five primary challenges to scaling up marine conservation and proposes actionable solutions that align with the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure the future resilience of coastal ecosystems.

Key Challenges and Solutions for Achieving SDG 14

An analysis by marine conservation experts identified five key challenges hindering the achievement of global biodiversity targets. The following section outlines these challenges and presents corresponding solutions framed within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Challenge 1: Unequal Protection and Restoration Across Ecosystems

   A significant disparity exists in conservation efforts between terrestrial and marine environments, and also among different marine ecosystems. Terrestrial ecosystems receive double the spatial protection of marine ones (17% vs. 8%). Within the marine realm, habitats such as warm-water corals and mangroves are better protected (~40-50%) than underserved ecosystems like seagrasses (24-29%) and kelp forests (16%). This imbalance undermines efforts to holistically achieve SDG 14.2 (sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems). Furthermore, the restoration targets set by the “30×30” framework are misaligned with the current realities of marine restoration, where progress is orders of magnitude behind what is required. This gap particularly affects “blue carbon” ecosystems like kelp and seagrass, diminishing their potential contribution to SDG 13 (Climate Action).

   Solution 1: Elevate and Prioritize Neglected Marine Ecosystems

   To create a more balanced and effective global conservation portfolio, nations must elevate the protection and restoration of neglected but critical ecosystems.

   • Prioritize funding and policy support for kelp forests, seagrasses, and cold-water corals to align their protection levels with their ecological and economic importance.
   • Adjust global restoration timelines and expectations for marine ecosystems to reflect technical realities while increasing investment to accelerate progress.
   • This targeted approach will strengthen the global capacity to meet SDG 14.2 and enhance climate resilience in line with SDG 13.

2. Challenge 2: Ineffective Implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

   While many countries have designated large marine areas as protected, the effectiveness of these protections is often weak or unverified. Only 2.1% of the ocean is designated as ‘highly protected’ from destructive activities, a level of protection known to yield the best biological outcomes. Many existing MPAs lack adequate management, monitoring, and community support, failing to deliver on the promise of SDG 14.5 (conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas) in a meaningful way. This “paper park” phenomenon risks undermining public trust and failing to halt biodiversity loss, thereby impeding progress towards sustainable livelihoods (SDG 8) that depend on healthy marine resources.

   Solution 2: Enhance the Design and Management of MPAs

   The focus must shift from mere designation to effective implementation and management that delivers both ecological and social benefits.

   • Increase the number of well-designed, ethically constructed, and effectively managed MPAs, including a significant expansion of highly protected areas.
   • Ensure MPAs are supported by long-term funding, robust monitoring, and local compliance to guarantee they meet the conservation objectives of SDG 14.
   • Balance strict protection with sustainable use in multi-use areas to achieve social outcomes and secure community support, contributing to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

3. Challenge 3: Concentration of Protection in Remote, Offshore Areas

   A majority of highly protected marine areas are located in remote, sparsely populated regions or overseas territories, far from the coastal zones where human pressures are most intense. Critical nearshore habitats like kelp forests (only 2% highly protected) and mangroves (13.5% highly protected) remain vulnerable despite their importance for biodiversity and coastal communities. This spatial bias means that the ecosystems most in need of protection are often the least protected, failing to safeguard the resources that directly support coastal populations and protect them from climate impacts, a key aspect of SDG 11 and SDG 13.

   Solution 3: Prioritize Protection of Nearshore Coastal Ecosystems

   Conservation efforts must be strategically focused on areas where biodiversity and human communities are most interconnected and at risk.

   • Prioritize the establishment of new highly protected areas, or the enhancement of existing ones, in nearshore zones closer to population centers.
   • Ensure the full representation of critical coastal habitats—including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, and kelp forests—within the global MPA network.
   • This strategy will maximize the direct benefits of marine protection for local livelihoods and community resilience, directly supporting a range of SDGs.

4. Challenge 4: Restoration Efforts Undermined by Unaddressed Stressors

   Ecological restoration cannot succeed if the underlying causes of ecosystem degradation—such as pollution, over-extraction, and climate change impacts—are not simultaneously addressed. Attempting to restore habitats in environments where stressors persist is inefficient and often doomed to fail. This approach is inconsistent with the holistic vision of the SDGs, particularly SDG 14.1 (reduce marine pollution) and SDG 13, which calls for integrated climate action. Without managing stressors, restoration investments are wasted and long-term ecosystem recovery remains unattainable.

   Solution 4: Adopt a Holistic Seascape Management Approach

   Restoration must be integrated into broader management plans that address the root causes of habitat decline.

   • Implement seascape-level strategies that combine habitat restoration with upstream stressor management, such as improving water quality and regulating coastal development.
   • Ensure restoration projects are designed to build ecosystem resilience to ongoing stressors like climate change.
   • This integrated approach is essential for the long-term success of restoration and the achievement of a healthy, productive, and resilient ocean as envisioned by SDG 14.

5. Challenge 5: Poor Integration of Protection and Restoration Policies

   Marine protection and restoration are often treated as separate, mutually exclusive strategies. Current policies and permitting processes, especially within protected areas, can create significant barriers to active restoration. Legislation designed to prevent harmful human activities can inadvertently prohibit beneficial interventions like removing invasive species or planting propagules. This lack of integration hinders the ability to use a full toolkit of conservation measures, creating inefficiencies and missed opportunities. This siloed approach runs counter to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), which emphasizes integrated and collaborative action.

   Solution 5: Integrate Policy to Unify Marine Protection and Restoration

   Policy, permitting, and strategic planning must be reformed to recognize protection and restoration as complementary and synergistic tools.

   • Streamline permitting processes to facilitate responsible restoration activities within protected areas where passive recovery is insufficient.
   • Develop integrated marine management plans that strategically deploy both protection and restoration to achieve conservation goals at scale.
   • Fostering this policy coherence will enable a more adaptive and effective approach to marine conservation, leveraging partnerships and innovative solutions as called for by SDG 17.

Frameworks for Scaling Up Action and Achieving the SDGs

Key Considerations for Implementation

To successfully scale up marine conservation, implementation must be both effective and equitable. This requires:

• Community Collaboration: Expansion of protected areas near populated regions must be conducted in careful consultation with local communities to avoid negative impacts on cultural practices and livelihoods, in line with Target 1 of the KMGBF and the principles of SDG 1 and SDG 8.
• Effective Monitoring: Progress must be tracked against clear ecological, social, and logistical criteria to ensure MPAs are delivering measurable outcomes for biodiversity and human well-being.
• Adherence to Standards: Restoration projects should follow established standards of practice to ensure interventions are necessary, effective, and free from unintended consequences.

Ocean Conservation Breakthroughs and Global Partnerships

Global initiatives are crucial for coordinating action and mobilizing resources. The Marine Conservation Breakthroughs, championed by the United Nations, provide ambitious and feasible targets for protecting and restoring key ecosystems like coral reefs, mangroves, and kelp forests. These frameworks, along with communities of practice such as the Global Mangrove Alliance and the Kelp Forest Alliance, exemplify SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) in action. They connect on-the-ground efforts with high-level policy, foster cross-ecosystem collaboration, and advocate for integrated ocean management strategies that benefit all marine habitats.

Conclusion: An Integrated Path Towards a Sustainable Ocean

Achieving the “30×30” targets and fulfilling the vision of SDG 14 for marine ecosystems requires a paradigm shift from siloed actions to an integrated strategy that combines effective protection with scalable restoration. Current efforts are hampered by uneven protection, ineffective MPAs, and regulatory barriers that prevent a holistic approach. To overcome these challenges, nations must adopt integrated strategies that prioritize underserved ecosystems, enhance management effectiveness, address underlying stressors, and align policies to support both protection and restoration. By leveraging global partnerships and ensuring that conservation actions deliver both ecological and social benefits, the international community can secure a resilient and sustainable future for coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 14: Life Below Water: This is the primary goal addressed. The article focuses entirely on the conservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems, including the challenges of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the disparity in protection levels for different habitats (kelp, seagrass, corals), and the need for integrated management strategies to ensure healthy oceans.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This goal is connected through comparative analysis. The article repeatedly contrasts the progress and scale of marine conservation with terrestrial conservation, noting that “the extent of protection for terrestrial ecosystems is currently double that of marine ecosystems” and that terrestrial restoration efforts are more advanced. This highlights the broader context of global biodiversity and ecosystem management.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The article connects marine conservation to climate change by mentioning that habitats like mangroves and corals have gained attention due to their “strong links to climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction agendas.” This underscores the role of healthy coastal ecosystems in building resilience against climate-related impacts.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: This goal is relevant because the article emphasizes the importance of collaboration. It describes a workshop that brought together international experts, mentions collaborative movements like the “Kelp Forest Challenge,” and highlights the role of “Communities of practice” (e.g., Global Mangrove Alliance) in connecting local efforts with high-level policies like the “30×30” targets.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans. The article’s entire premise is built around this target, discussing the need to integrate protection (MPAs) and “scalable restoration” to ensure “resilient coastal ecosystems.” It explicitly calls for addressing stressors and taking a “holistic seascape approach for future marine restoration projects.”
• Target 14.5: By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas… The article directly addresses this target’s more ambitious successor, the “30×30” goal from the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of the world’s ecosystems by 2030. It notes that current marine protection stands at only 8%, demonstrating the gap that needs to be closed.
• Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity… The article begins by “Recognizing biodiversity loss as a key threat” and focuses on strategies to protect and restore critical habitats like kelp forests, seagrasses, and coral reefs to prevent further degradation and support biodiversity.
• Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships… The article exemplifies this target by describing the workshop of “19 marine conservation experts from six countries,” and citing the role of alliances like the “Kelp Forest Alliance” and frameworks like the “Ocean Conservation Breakthroughs” in mobilizing knowledge and guiding collaborative conservation efforts.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Coverage of Protected Areas: The article provides specific quantitative data that serves as a direct indicator.
  • Percentage of marine ecosystems protected (currently 8%).
  • Percentage of terrestrial ecosystems protected (currently 17%).
  • Percentage of marine space that is ‘highly protected’ from destructive activities (2.1%).
  • Percentage of specific habitats protected (e.g., mangroves ~40-50%, kelp forests 16%).
• Area of Ecosystems Restored: The article uses the area (in km²) as a key indicator to measure restoration progress against targets.
  • Area of degraded ecosystems to be restored by 2030 (e.g., 10,000 km² of kelp forest, 17,000 km² of seagrass).
  • Area of ecosystems restored to date (e.g., ~1 km² of coral, 100s of km² of kelp, 1000s of km² of mangrove).
• Effectiveness of Protected Areas: The article implies a set of qualitative and quantitative indicators for measuring the effectiveness of MPAs beyond simple spatial coverage.
  • Ecological indicators: Whether biodiversity is stable or increasing; increased fish biomass.
  • Social indicators: Level of community support for a protected area; whether local communities benefit from it.
  • Logistical/Management indicators: Whether the MPA successfully stops prohibited activities like illegal fishing, poaching, or development.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nature.com