Introduction
The oceans play an imperative role in human lives here on planet Earth. The oceans serve as our planet’s lungs because of the oxygen that is produced from marine organisms. Humans depend on the ocean not just for air but also for food, medicines, climate management, and a hike in the economy. A life lived on Earth is all the more exquisite when considering the benefits from the ocean world.
Subsequently, we humans should be the primary caretakers of the planet’s oceans.
What is a Ocean Charity?
An ocean charity is a charity or nonprofit that focuses on giving and working voluntarily to administer the welfare of the oceans. There are now plenty of non-profit organizations committed to carrying out projects that help preserve the ocean. They are organizations that conduct cleanups and discussions about the repercussions of immoderate plastic waste.
The groups that care for the oceans are all mainly dedicated to increasing the percentage of protected oceans. They are people who are focused on enforcing change on both the local and national levels. They do all sorts of projects for the oceans, such as cleaning up plastic debris and protecting sea creatures from overfishing. These organizations are also leading campaigns against the use of plastic straws.
Overall, ocean charities are carried out by benevolent groups of people driven to restore and conserve the beauty of the ocean world.
Types of Ocean-focused Charity
The ocean world and all its elegance is in grave danger for quite some time now. The vivid colors of the sea and its wildlife are now being concealed with human waste. Luckily, there are non-profit foundations who are steadfast in restoring the ocean and all its splendor. These groups conduct charities, all of which are listed below, in the hope of saving the oceans.
Saving the Reef
The coral reefs are more than just structures of calcium carbonate; they are also sources of life. A large percentage of marine species depend on coral reefs for food and shelter. More than that, human beings also benefit from the coral reefs because these ecosystems keep the seashore from eroding and safe from storms. Furthermore, the local neighborhood can offer recreational activities, such as diving and snorkeling, to the tourists.
Unfortunately, the beautiful structures of coral reefs are becoming so vulnerable to several detrimental factors. Threats to the coral reefs come in natural and human-made forms, the latter one being more harmful. Overfishing results in depleting aquatic species while sediments from physical water treatment can suffocate the corals; both are damaging factors caused by humans. Moreover, poor waste management leads to marine pollution and, worst, climate change.
By good fortune, marine scientists and charitable organizations have thought of ways to help protect and revive coral reef ecosystems. People are advised to be responsible for divers and snorkelers by not laying hands on them. Beneath the corals lie’s stone-like texture, delicate creatures, that’s why touching the reefs is unwise. Additionally, some sunscreen ingredients are toxic to aquatic creatures, so it is desired that divers and snorkelers opt for less harmful products.
By-the-same-token, ocean charities are promoting many ways to keep the coral reefs healthy daily. Proper waste disposal might be one of the most obvious yet effective solutions to damaged reefs. By disposing of garbage in its rightful place, the trash is kept from getting washed away into the bodies of water. Additionally, ocean-caring foundations urge people to limit chemical fertilizers because it all eventually gets washed into the seas.
Save Ocean Animals and Ocean Life
The ocean and the marine biodiversity are Earth’s life-support systems. For this reason, charitable ocean organizations are trying to keep the aquatic ecosystem as diverse as it is and to improve or maintain the biodiversity in the ocean.
These people have come up with solutions to aid the recovery of diminishing areas of the ocean. The ocean charities have worked and funded marine protected areas to administer the chance for various species to recover and replenish. These marine protected areas are now sustaining ocean life for future generations.
Aside from protected areas, ocean charities are facilitating day-to-day solutions to increasing threats to marine life. Solutions like decreasing the use of throwaway plastics, consuming sustainable seafood only, and conserving energy, are part of their campaign.
Clean Ocean
The ocean trash is composed of plastic bags, single-use containers and wrappers, straws, plastic cups and bottles, cigarettes, and many more. Also, scientists and researchers have predicted that the number of plastic garbage in the oceans will surpass the population of aquatic animals in a few years.
Thankfully, charitable organizations for the ocean are doing the donkey work on behalf of the rest of the human population.
Cleaning up the ocean can be as surprisingly easy as picking up and segregating the trash. The ocean charities regularly conduct cleanups to make sure that no plastic waste can get washed away in water bodies.
Ocean Education
Discovering the big blue sea and all its wonders will bring about an urge to save its entirety. It will take many more years for marine scientists and researchers to explore and study the Earth’s ocean. But learning the reasons why the ocean needs saving takes only a little while. For this purpose, ocean charities raise awareness about the common causes of why marine ecosystems appear to be deteriorating.
The non-profit foundations are wanting to do more for the oceans aside from cleanups. These groups usually conduct seminars and forums on ocean education and the effects of human-made threats to marine life. Through basic knowledge about the negative effects of human waste and neglecting the oceans, people can now be more aware of their actions and surroundings. Thus, further damage to the aquatic ecosystems can be prevented, and marine biodiversity can be restored.
Impact of Ocean Charities on Humans
The benefits of a healthy ocean are endless. Seafood, medicines, less carbon dioxide, and rich biodiversity are only a few of the ocean’s gifts to human beings. Unfortunately, these blessings from the seas are tangible yet often neglected and taken for granted.
The charitable works performed by the organizations for oceans send huge waves of positive impacts on the communities. Through the activities, programs, and campaigns held by the ocean charities, the public can, later on, enjoy fresher air to breathe, bountiful varieties of seafood, and medicinal ingredients. Other benefits such as a rise in the economy due to businesses that depend on the oceans and recreational activities can all be savored by the people.
Impact of Ocean Charities on Climate Change
The efforts of the ocean charities contribute to the welfare of human beings and the entirety of the planet Earth as well. Through marine charitable works such as saving the reef, restoring marine life, ocean cleanups, ecosystem diversity education, and basic ocean education, mother nature smiles upon her people.
When the works of the ocean charities are performed on a larger scale, the ocean will continue its role as the planet’s carbon sink. The impact of keeping the ocean healthy will result in its full capacity to ingest the effects of greenhouse gasses, thus absorbing a large percentage of the atmosphere’s excess heat.
REFERENCES
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/welcome.html
https://www.oceanunite.org/issues/healthy-ocean-healthy-climate/
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/marine-life/coral-reef-ecosystems
https://www.epa.gov/coral-reefs/what-you-can-do-help-protect-coral-reefs
https://marine-conservation.org/10-things-you-can-do/