Definition of "Life Below Water" and its Relevance
The term "Life below water," as defined by the United Nations in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), refers to the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and all marine resources for sustainable development. This encompasses the vast diversity of marine organisms and ecosystems in oceans and seas, including both coastal and deeper marine environments. These ecosystems are essential for supporting human existence, as they provide food, oxygen (accounting for over half of the world's oxygen production), climate regulation, economic opportunities, and cultural value. The SDG 14 agenda addresses the interconnectedness of planetary health and the welfare of communities whose lives depend on healthy oceans.
Official Goals and Targets of SDG 14: Life Below Water
SDG 14 aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development”. SDG 14 is supported by several clearly defined targets intended to be achieved by 2030 (unless otherwise specified), including:
Reduction of Marine Pollution: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.
Sustainable Management and Protection of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, and take action for restoration.
Addressing Ocean Acidification: Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels.
Sustainable Fishing: By 2020, regulate harvesting, end overfishing, eliminate destructive fishing practices, and restore fish stocks to sustainable yield.
Conservation of Coastal and Marine Areas: By 2020, conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law.
Ending Fisheries Subsidies: By 2020, prohibit subsidies that contribute to overcapacity, overfishing, and illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing, particularly in developing countries.
Increasing Economic Benefits to Small Island States and Least Developed Countries: By 2030, increase the economic benefits from the sustainable use of marine resources, such as sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism.
Strengthening Scientific Knowledge and Technology: Increase scientific research and transfer marine technology for ocean health, with emphasis on developing countries.
Supporting Small-Scale Fishers: Provide greater market access and resource rights to small-scale fishers.
Implementing International Law: Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans by implementing UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).
These targets are monitored using specific indicators, such as reduction in floating plastic debris, expansion in marine protected areas, and improvements in fish stock health.
Countries and Communities Causing the Most Harm to Life Below Water
Scientific assessments identify that the most harm to life below water is caused predominantly by countries with large coastal populations, high plastic usage, inadequate waste management, and extensive fishing industries. The regions most implicated as major sources of ocean plastic pollution are in Asia; over 80% of plastic entering the ocean is emitted from Asian countries. The top specific countries include:
Country Major Harm to Life Below Water
Philippines Largest annual plastic waste leakage to oceans
China Leading in both riverine and direct plastic outflow
Indonesia Second largest in plastic marine pollution
Malaysia High per capita and total plastic discharge
Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh Significant contributors to marine plastic leakage
In addition, industrialized fishing nations are heavily responsible for overfishing and related marine degradation, notably through unsustainable fishing practices, illegal fishing, and bycatch. Besides plastics, nutrient pollution (eutrophication) from fertilizer runoff, sewage discharge, and chemical pollutants are prevalent in economically developing nations with rapid industrialization and population growth near coasts.
Environmental and Human Impacts in Highly Affected Areas
The negative impacts of marine degradation are both ecological and socio-economic. Key consequences include:
Environmental Impacts:
Biodiversity Loss: Pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction have resulted in a decline of coral reefs (with half destroyed globally), depletion of key fish stocks, and loss of marine species.
Ocean Acidification: Increased CO₂ absorption leads to acidification, impairing shell-forming organisms, coral reefs, and disrupting entire food webs.
Eutrophication and Dead Zones: Excess nutrients from agriculture and sewage result in algal blooms, lowered oxygen levels, and widespread die-offs of marine life, especially in semi-enclosed seas like the Baltic.
Microplastics and Chemical Pollution: Plastics and associated chemicals are now integrated in marine food webs, affecting fish, birds, and mammal health, and ultimately human health.
Human Impacts:
Livelihood Loss: Coastal and fishing communities experience loss of income, food security, and employment due to declining fish stocks and ecosystem services.
Health Risks: Contaminated seafood (microplastics, heavy metals, chemical toxins) poses serious health risks, including neurological, reproductive, and developmental effects.
Food Security: Declining marine resources threaten the primary source of protein for billions, increasing risk of hunger and malnutrition, particularly in least developed and island states.
Erosion and Disaster Vulnerability: Degradation of coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses reduces natural coastal protection, raising risks from storm surges, flooding, and sea level rise.
Social Disruption: Loss of marine livelihoods can lead to migration, social instability, and exacerbation of poverty in vulnerable communities.
How People Are Affected in the Most Impacted Countries and Communities
In practice, people living in communities most affected by ocean degradation often belong to low-income or coastal populations highly dependent on fishing, tourism, and marine resource extraction. When marine life declines:
Fishing communities may suffer income loss, food scarcity, and the breakdown of social structures, which can prompt forced migration or increased reliance on illegal or destructive livelihoods.
Health risks increase as polluted waters and contaminated seafood threaten both physical and developmental health, exacerbating strain on already underserved health infrastructures.
Women and Indigenous groups face heightened challenges, due to disproportionate dependency on local fisheries for food security and cultural continuity.
Youth migration and demographic shifts occur when economic opportunities disappear, leading to the weakening or collapse of traditional coastal societies.
Additional Pressing Challenges Faced by these Countries and Communities
Beyond marine degradation, these communities frequently contend with a suite of intertwined development challenges:
Poverty and Inequality: High poverty rates constrain adaptive capacity to environmental shocks.
Water and Sanitation Deficits: Inadequate infrastructure exacerbates pollution and infectious disease burdens.
Health Crises: Outbreaks of waterborne and vector-borne diseases rise as marine pollution and climate change alter disease vectors.
Climate Change: Sea level rise, increased storm frequency, coastal erosion, and temperature changes compound ecological and human vulnerability.
Governance and Resource Management Gaps: Weak regulations, poor enforcement, and limited technical capacity hinder sustainable management.
Rapid Urbanization and Population Growth: Increased waste and land use pressures from growing urban populations stress fragile coastal ecosystems.
Active United Nations Institutions and Their Support for SDG 14 in Affected Regions
Multiple UN agencies are actively engaged in countries and communities most affected by marine ecosystem decline, adopting diverse, coordinated approaches:
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Leads global and regional initiatives to reduce marine pollution (notably plastics), foster sustainable ocean governance (Regional Seas Programme), and support policies for ecosystem restoration.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): Champions sustainable fisheries management, monitors fish stock health through reporting and partnerships, and assists small-scale fishers in adopting best practices and accessing markets and resources.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Integrates SDG 14 into national development policy, finances national marine protection projects, and supports countries in expanding marine protected areas and strengthening community-based marine governance.
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): Helps countries end illegal fishing and harmful subsidies, develops sustainable blue economy policies, and ensures marine trade adheres to international agreements.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) & Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO): Provide data and early warning systems, climate monitoring, and foster international collaboration for ocean science.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): Offers research, conservation advocacy, and technical assistance for marine protected areas and biodiversity monitoring.
How these UN agencies support SDG 14 targets:
Pollution Reduction: Assisting in the enactment of single-use plastics bans, improving wastewater and waste management systems, and convening regional action plans for plastic and nutrient pollution mitigation.
Fisheries Management: Promoting science-based quotas, supporting the transition to sustainable fishing, combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and advancing the adoption of the Port State Measures Agreement.
Expansion of Marine Protected Areas: Supporting communities and governments to designate and manage new marine reserves and protected habitats, with emphasis on effectiveness, connectivity, and community involvement.
Capacity Building and Research: Training national agencies in marine monitoring, advancing ocean science, and facilitating technology transfer.
Community Engagement and Livelihood Diversification: Empowering local stewardship (especially for small-scale fishers, women, and Indigenous peoples), supporting blue economy initiatives, and fostering alternative, sustainable income sources.
Conclusion
SDG 14 “Life below water” advocates for the global community to conserve and sustainably use the oceans and marine resources, recognizing the direct impact of marine health on human welfare, environmental stability, and sustainable development. Countries with the highest harm to life below water are typically those with high population density, extensive coastline, inadequate waste management, and intensive fishing activities—most notably in Asia and some parts of Africa and Latin America. Communities there are experiencing cascading effects—from ecological collapse to increased poverty, disease, and forced migration—underlining the urgency of coordinated UN, national, and community-driven interventions for environmental and human resilience.
The multi-faceted approach of UN institutions—spanning pollution control, fisheries management, habitat protection, science, and empowerment—continues to be integral for the realization of SDG 14 and for securing the future of both oceans and the people who depend on them.
