Ocean Degradation Puts Human Rights at Risk, Urgent Action Needed to Protect Marine Ecosystems

Puentes Riaño stressed the urgency of mainstreaming the human right to a clean environment into ocean policies.

Ocean degradation poses severe risks to human rights globally, notably threatening the fundamental right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, stated Astrid Puentes Riaño, UN Special Rapporteur on environmental human rights.

In her recent address to the Human Rights Council, Puentes Riaño emphasized that declining marine health directly endangers human communities, exacerbates global inequalities, and disproportionately impacts marginalized populations, including Indigenous peoples and small-scale fishing communities.

"Protecting marine ecosystems is an integral part of every State's human rights obligations," Puentes Riaño stated. She highlighted that the ocean covers over 70% of Earth's surface and significantly influences food security, climate stability, and the livelihoods of approximately 2.4 billion people living within 100 kilometers of coastlines.

Despite more than 600 international agreements, marine ecosystems continue to suffer from climate change, overfishing, pollution, extractive industries, and emerging threats such as deep-sea mining. Puentes Riaño noted that inadequate governance, enforcement deficiencies, and escalating violence against ocean defenders intensify these challenges, calling for immediate and robust action.

The report advocates for adopting a holistic, integrated, and gender-responsive approach to ocean governance, incorporating ancestral and indigenous knowledge, ensuring the rights of current and future generations, and promoting sustained international collaboration.

Key recommendations for States, businesses, and international bodies include:

• Strengthening legal frameworks protecting marine biodiversity and coastal communities.
• Enforcing stricter regulations against overfishing, pollution, and offshore extraction.
• Applying the precautionary principle rigorously.
• Recognizing and supporting the vital role of ocean defenders and indigenous knowledge.
• Increasing support to developing nations for effective marine conservation.

Puentes Riaño stressed the urgency of mainstreaming the human right to a clean environment into ocean policies. "Immediate action is crucial. Without it, marine biodiversity loss will severely affect millions globally whose lives and rights are deeply connected to the ocean," she concluded.