Introduction to Rewilding The Sea

The introductory film for the Rewilding The Seas conference, a digital conference designed to unite the marine restoration community, hosted by Blue Marine Foundation.

The morning session of the conference can be viewed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2vVHLDsz90

(serene music)

What we mean by rewilding the sea

is any effort to improve
the health of the ocean

by leaving it alone to recover

or actively restoring
habitats and species.

Our aim is to get back
to intact, thriving marine ecosystems

in rude health
and at their full potential.

Rewilding not only secures a future

for a whole host of marine species
and habitats,

but these new marine powerhouses
of life

can help us deliver
our climate change objectives,

healthy ecosystems,

fix and store huge amounts of carbon.

Left alone to thrive,
areas of rewilded sea

can provide benefits to fisheries

and the communities around them.

replenishing stocks and creating
nurseries for key species,

for all of us,
and for generations to come.

(music)

Serious ambition is urgently needed,
and at scale.

We talk about saving nature,

but this is about nature saving us.

We can't go on simply undermining

the very fabric of the system

that ultimately supports us.

We need to think big, and act now.

We are now entering

the United Nations decade
of ecosystem restoration.

This is our moment.

It's time for us to rethink
how we do things.

Working together better
across governments,

industry, environmental bodies,
and academia.

Protecting our coasts
and supporting fisheries.

(music)

From oysteries to mangroves,

from America to Africa and Asia,

restoration successes are happening
all over.

Marine restoration really does work

and we're getting better at it
all the time.

We've made a good start,

exciting things are happening,

and we've learned
that every sea and coast

can benefit.

(music)

Rewilding is seriously underfunded

and not yet taken seriously in politics.

It's an essential for everyone.

We need the ocean thriving

and punching at its full power,

if we are going to revert
planetary disaster.

Today, wild marine protected areas

count for six per cent
of global ocean surface.

Fully protected areas
are less than one per cent.

Many of them have no adequate
enforcement at all.

We must overcome barriers
to collaboration,

and provide some freedom to innovate,

improving processes and regulations

to make rewilding possible.

The future of our vital ocean

depends on what we do
in the next few years.

There is a huge potential to achieve
something amazing,

bringing the life back to oceans
as it used to be.

All of this is doable.

We must just get together
and make it happen.

Let's all work together,
in partnership,

to restore the marine environment.

This is a wonderful opportunity,

for practitioners, regulators
and funders,

to come together,

to raise our collective ambition,

and rewild the sea.

(epic music)