Marine environment and its management

Niharika soni (357)

Swati Ramesh (358)
Saurabh Tamhankar (359)
Ayaz Versey (360)
Fenali Bhagat (361)
Vinayak Shetty (362)
Introduction
Life in our planet is dependent upon the oceans,
which are the sources of wealth, opportunity and
abundance
 About 71% of the surface of this planet is covered by
salt water.
They provide us food, energy and water and sustain
the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.
They are the main highway for international trade as
well as the main stabilizer of the world’s climate
Facts about marine environment
 Knowledge of the marine environment is limited,
 Degradation of the marine environment due to
human activities is likely to be increasing due to
increased shipping, ports, marinas, coastal housing
and coastal development,
 In some parts the area covered by sea grass has
declined by up to 80% since the 1960s,
 Trawling is having significant ecological impacts in
some areas.
Marine Pollution Chart
 Degradation of marine environment
 Direct effects of humans on marine habitats and
biota includes dredging and dumping , removal of
biota , and construction of marinas, port facilities or
breakwaters.

 Indirect effects include introduction of foreign

diseases or species, and discharge of nutrients and
other pollutants that can adversely affect marine biota
and habitats.
Classification of marine pollution
Sewage
 Persistent Pollutant
 Nutrients
 Sediments
 Solid waste
 Hydrocarbons
 Physical alteration and destruction of habitats
Heat
Activities responsible for marine
environment degradation.
Direct impact caused such as population,
urbanization, industry and tourism development.

Dredging refers to excavation of sediments from the

sea bed to make the water deeper, or as a part of an
extractive process.

Dumping.
Activities responsible for marine
environment degradation.
Reclamation results in complete physical loss of the
natural environment.

Overfishing

Trawling

Aquaculture(framing of marine flora and fauna)

Functionality of marine environment
protection 
 To protect the marine environment and ensure there
is no significant further loss and degradation of
marine habitats, biota .

 Reducing and eliminating the major environmental

pressures that degrade, or threaten to degrade.

 Defining and protecting environmental values in

order to protect and improve the condition of the
marine environment.
Functionality of marine environment
protection 
 Conserving the marine environment and associated
values identified as most important.

 Managing and using marine resources in a

sustainable manner and rehabilitating degraded
marine areas where practical.
MAJOR PRESSURE AREAS FOR DEGRADATION 
Major shipping corridors result in direct damage to the
marine environment by anchor drag and the need for
dredging activities to maintain shipping channels.
 Activities at larger ports present a risk of introduction of
species, accidental spills, potential contamination, and
habitat destruction.
Offshore petroleum extraction and onshore industry can
place pressure on marine habitats.
Pipelines that connect offshore industry to mainland
transport infrastructure can impact the marine
environment, especially during the construction period.
Areas where people live and stay along the coast are also often
subject to degradation of the marine environment.
The construction of coastal housing can impact or destroy
coastal ecosystems.
 The marine environment also affected by discharges of treated
waste water to the marine environment. 
There is a significant pressure from increased recreational
fishing, and illegal fishing.
Aquaculture can contribute to marine degradation.
 Marine environmental management
 Environmental impact assessment is undertaken by developers with
projects that are likely to significantly impact the environment.
 Marine and coastal habitat mapping are incorporated by some of the
nation, in order to estimate the geographically the scale of damage
caused due to human activities. 
 There are many projects underway by such government departments
and individual companies to map marine and coastal habitats.
 The capacity for mapping the sea floor has been enhanced dramatically
by improved hydro-acoustic techniques.
 Underwater video footage has also been used in some of the cases to
generate state-of-the-art maps of the marine environment.
•Mangrove assessment projects are also being undertaken by some
nation to identify, document and assess information about
mangroves.

•By-catch action plans: The fisheries department of some nation

requires implementation of by-catch action plans for prawn and
scallop trawl fisheries.

• Biodiversity Trawl Project aims to gain an understanding of the

impacts of trawling on the marine environment, especially with
reference to long-term ecological changes.

•Various mitigation measures to be implemented to reduce impacts

to benthic habitats from marine pollution and towed equipments.
IMO
IMO is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility
for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of
marine pollution by ships.

Currently has 169 member countries

International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea

(SOLAS)

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution

from Ships, 1973
Oil Spills Effects
When oil enters the sea, many physical, chemical and
biological processes act on the oil. Many changes happen at
once - the slick moves and spreads and environmental
processes alter its character.

When oil enters the sea, many physical, chemical and

biological processes act on the oil. Many changes happen at
once - the slick moves and spreads and environmental
processes alter its character.
Major oil Spills
Torrey Canyon disaster of 1967, in which 120,000
tonnes of oil was spilled.
Taylor Energy well (US) Sept 16, 2004 Spilled 96 tones
Mumbai Oil Spill- 7th August 2010- oil spilled is 400
tones
Barataria Bay Oil Spill (US) July 27th , 2010 – Spilled 45
tones of oil
Talmadage Creek Oil Spill (US) July 26th, 2010- oil
spilled is 3250 tones
THANK YOU