From Oceans to Forests: Challenges and Progress in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals 14 & 15

Abstract

This review analyses the challenges and developments related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 14- Life Below Water and SDG 15- Life on Land, which deal with sustainable management and conservation of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The synthesis methodology of the study is a qualitative one, utilising secondary data through the use of the world organisations such as the United Nations, FAO, IPCC, and CBD. The discussion indicates that the two ecosystems are experiencing intense stress based on overexploitation, pollution, climate change and destruction of habitats. There is an increasing pressure on marine systems through acidification of oceans, overfishing and coral reefs, and on terrestrial systems through deforestation, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. Despite the visible positive results of the ideas of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), REDD+ programmes, and reforestation efforts, their effects are still not significant based on the uneven governance and insufficient funding. The review recognises the interdependence between the land and sea ecosystems in terms of nutrient cycles and ecological interactions, and how all-inclusive management is the key to global sustainability. There is a need to bridge the gaps that have been established, and this can only be done through strengthening policy coordination, advanced innovation, as well as the involvement of the community. The paper concludes that the way forward on these goals is to have a unified ecosystem-based governance to ensure the protection of biodiversity and also be more robust in the context of the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development.