An index to assess the health and benefits of the global ocean

The ocean plays a critical role in supporting human well-being, from providing food, livelihoods and recreational opportunities to regulating the global climate. Sustainable management aimed at maintaining the flow of a broad range of benefits from the ocean requires a comprehensive and quantitative method to measure and monitor the health of coupled human–ocean systems. We created an index comprising ten diverse public goals for a healthy coupled human–ocean system and calculated the index for every coastal country. Globally, the overall index score was 60 out of 100 (range 36–86), with developed countries generally performing better than developing countries, but with notable exceptions. Only 5% of countries scored higher than 70, whereas 32% scored lower than 50. The index provides a powerful tool to raise public awareness, direct resource management, improve policy and prioritize scientific research. This study develops a wide-ranging index to assess the many factors that contribute to the health and benefits of the oceans, and the scores for all costal nations are assessed. Putting a value on ocean well-being There is much concern about the state of the oceans, both in terms of their importance to Earth's ecosystems and their ability to provide benefits to society. Global ocean policy therefore strives for 'healthy oceans', yet we have no tool with which to actually measure ocean health and its response to interventions. To fill this gap, Benjamin Halpern et al . have developed an ocean-health index to assess the many factors that contribute to the health and benefits of the oceans. Scores were determined for all coastal nations, and the global score is 60 out of 100. Both uninhabited and developed coastlines score well, but many African and Asian countries score poorly. This new index, the authors say, should allow for quick identification of strategic actions to improve overall ocean health.