SDG-14

SDG-14 Life below water

Main
SDG-14

Targets of this goal

By 2030, it is necessary to achieve the following targets:

Prevent and significantly reduce ocean contamination
Sustainably manage marine and coastal ecosystems. Addressing the effects of ocean acidification
Ban fishery subsidies that contribute to overfishing
Facilitate artisanal fishermen's access to marine resources and markets
Increase the benefits of sustainable fisheries for small island states

We can currently advance towards the attainment of this goal:

How does technology contribute to this SDG? See what we propose and tell us what you think

Lessons Learnt

We have analyzed the literature and extracted the following ideas on how technologies are favouring this SDG.
See also what we propose and tell us what you think

L.1

The literature offers a considerable number of references evidencing the role of AI for the mitigation of marine pollution, including applications such as the detection of oil spills from satellite data, detection, quantification and positioning of plastic debris through drones, or prediction concentration of E-coli bacteria in coastal areas

L.2

Initiatives are being proposed on an international scale for ocean monitoring. These monitoring systems have great potential for “smart fishing” (species classification, behavior prediction, biomass estimation, etc.), or the smart management of ocean ecosystems. Currently its applicability is limited due to the high cost of these systems

Recommendations

The proposed actions on which we introduce an opinion poll for this SDG, are described below:

Poll for SDG-14

The analyses of interrelationships between emerging technologies & AI, and the possibilities they offer to pursue the SDGs, led us to propose a series of actions and/or potential projects to develop.
Among these recommendations, which one is more important in your opinion?

Give my opinion

R14.1 - Technologies for detection, quantification and monitoring of marine plastic debris with a wide range of action

The dumping of plastics into the Earth's seas and oceans currently constitutes one of the greatest ecological threats at a global level and requires greater research efforts for its control and eventual mitigation. The use of artificial intelligence techniques for the detection and quantification of plastic debris using images taken by drones constitutes substantial progress, but this technology is limited to local beaches and coastal areas due to the relatively small radius of action of drones. The use of data and images taken by satellite, together with physical simulation models, are revealed as promising technologies that would make it possible to substantially expand the radius of action of the monitoring as well as the prediction of the trajectories of these waste banks at a global level.

R14.2 - Low-cost, highly reliable ocean monitoring technologies

Current ocean ecosystem monitoring systems are subject to aggressive environmental conditions (corrosion, high pressures, ocean currents, biofouling, etc.) and require complex installation and maintenance, which makes them substantially more expensive. This fact constitutes a technological barrier to access these technologies by less advanced countries, which are precisely the ones that could yield the greatest benefits due to the greater dependence on fishing and the greater level of illegal and unregulated fishing in these countries. The development of lower-cost monitoring systems (for example, with lower maintenance requirements, or using low-cost free electronic components) would allow less advanced countries to incorporate these technologies into their territorial waters.

R14.3 - Blockchain technology for the secure management of information systems and management of oceanic ecosystems

The progressive development of initiatives and ocean monitoring and sensorization projects can lead to the interception and inappropriate use of the information generated for malicious purposes, mainly the over-exploitation of fishing. The protection of information transactions and monitoring data through the use of blockchain technology could help to effectively mitigate this threat. Research in this area of application is very scarce, almost non-existent. More research and greater interest on the part of international organizations in this matter would be necessary.