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Hello and welcome to the Natural World Facts Awareness Project,

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a new series in which I’ll be explaining

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the importance of wildlife conservation and[br]what you can do to help.

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In this video, I’m joined by Alex Collins,

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a fellow YouTube wildlife[br]enthusiast and biologist

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at the University of Bristol.

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His channel is linked below,

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I recommend you check it out

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for videos on some of the world’s[br]rarest species

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and what you can do to help them.

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So what is Marine Conservation?

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Marine Conservation is defined as the protection[br]of marine ecosystems,

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With the focus of limiting the damage caused to them by humans

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and protecting threatened species.

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The main threats being seen in our oceans[br]include species loss,

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habitat degradation,

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and changes in ecosystem function.

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Human activities[br]causing a rise in extinction rates

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has lead to a huge decrease in biodiversity,

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particularly[br]in coral reefs, 88% of which are threatened

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by excessive CO2 emissions.

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These reefs are among the most important stores[br]of biodiversity on the planet;

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it takes around ten thousand years for a reef to form from coral polyps,

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and up to 30 million years for

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a reef to fully mature,

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hosting an estimated 25% of all marine life.

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And yet, around the world,

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coral reefs are dying,

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as warming temperatures[br]and stressful conditions bleach the corals

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white as they are forced to expel the colourful[br]algae

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on which the coral depends for its survival.

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So, why does this matter?

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Why is marine conservation so important?

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With the world’s oceans currently more under[br]threat than ever before,

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and with half of

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the world’s reefs having died in the last[br]30 years, Marine Conservation has never been

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more important than today.

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I’ve already made some videos which answer[br]these questions on my own channel, so if you’d

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like to know why conservation is crucial to[br]both yourself and the environment, and why

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we should save endangered species and ecosystems,[br]then make sure to check those videos out after

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you’ve finished watching this.

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Put simply, different species rely on each[br]other for survival. If one species is under

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threat, the likelihood is that so is another[br]species. This can have a chain reaction, until

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eventually a whole ecosystem is under threat.[br]We need healthy ecosystems just as much as

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the marine life itself, because without them,[br]we’d have less food, less money, and less

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life on our planet. The bottom line is, life[br]on Earth needs healthy oceans, and it is our

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responsibility to protect them.

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So how can we do this?

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One of the most effective methods has been[br]the setting up of marine protected areas.

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This creates a much safer environment for[br]marine life, undisturbed by the impacts of

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overfishing, noise pollution from ships, and[br]other human activities. Thankfully, biodiversity

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has been found to increase by 21% within marine[br]reserves like these.

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We can also use artificial reefs. These are[br]man-made structures, built to promote marine

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life and the growth of new coral. Artificial[br]reefs have proven successful in providing

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a habitat for threatened wildlife, therefore[br]allowing damaged ecosystems to recover, and

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the regeneration of valuable biodiversity[br]within reef ecosystems.

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As well as these strategies, we also need[br]to be careful in the way we interact with

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the marine environment. For example, active[br]demersal fishing techniques like trawling,

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where a net is dragged along the bottom of[br]the ocean, can destroy the seafloor, which

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often contains ecologically important plant[br]and coral species.

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Active pelagic fishing techniques, where a[br]net is dragged through the open ocean, can

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also be just as bad. This is because it’s[br]indiscriminate, meaning that the nets will

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catch anything in their way, regardless of[br]whether or not the fisherman are looking for

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it. This often leads to protected animals[br]like dolphins and turtles being injured or

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even killed. For every 1 kilogram of prawns[br]that are caught and sold in stores, 9 kilograms

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of other sea animals are caught as bycatch,[br]being injured or killed and then thrown away.

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Marine conservation efforts have been made[br]to reduce the destruction caused by these

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fishing techniques, either by reducing how[br]often they are allowed to be used, or by making

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the technique itself less destructive. For[br]example, by using specific fishing hooks that

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are less likely to catch unwanted species.

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So there’s a small insight into just some[br]of the problems that marine conservationists

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face today. Solving these problems does take[br]a lot of hard work, but that doesn’t mean

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there’s nothing you can do if you don’t[br]work as a conservationist.

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So here are some simple things that you can[br]do to help marine conservation.

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Firstly, use your water supply more economically.[br]This will not only save you money but it will

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reduce excess runoff, containing pollutants[br]and waste, into the ocean.

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Secondly, use less energy in your day to day[br]life. Higher temperatures can cause the death

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of corals, rising sea levels and flooding,[br]and more extreme weather which can damage

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marine ecosystems. Many marine species also[br]rely on specific temperatures to determine

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what sex they develop into (i.e. they have[br]temperature-dependent sex determination),

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and so by changing the temperature we can[br]throw an entire population out of balance.

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You can also fish responsibly, or just fish[br]less, or not at all if this is an option to

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you. The same goes for eating seafood.

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Reducing your use of plastics is also essential.[br]Ingestion of microplastics (bits of plastic

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which are less than 5mm across) can lead to[br]bioaccumulation. This is where harmful substances

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build up in the food chain and eventually[br]cause serious problems to the organisms at

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the top.

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There are just a few things that you should[br]consider when trying to cause less impact

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to marine life. There is of course plenty[br]of other things that you can do to help, so

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if you’d like to know more, then let us[br]know down in the comments, and we can make

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another video for you.

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Thank you for watching, subscribe to see more[br]videos from the Awareness Project. Hit the

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like button and be sure to watch our video[br]on the Pine Marten by following the link to

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Alex’s channel.