SDG 14 - Life Below Water

SDG post #14 - SDG 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Hi #sustainability champions, today we continue our  journey exploring the individual SDGs one by one to polish our knowledge and upskill in SDG learning. As you know by now we send out a post approximately once or twice weekly until we have gone through all 17 SDGs. Today we tackle  SDG 14 -  Life Below Water.
You can follow or connect with us and see what we have to offer related to upscaling your change maker abilities (of tools and training) on our SDG toolkit webpages. ✔

So let’s explore Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), also known as  "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” in a concise manner suitable for learning.

What is SDG 14 about?

Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) is a global commitment to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development". It is one of the key environmental SDGs and for taking immediate and decisive actions to marine biodiversity loss, combat pollution and for sustainable marine resources use and does not only affect all others SDGs, but will be important for not only reaching any of the SDGs but for creating a liveable future for all. It covers a substantial and diverse variety of very important topics in relation to how to conserve and sustainably use marine resources like the inclusion of reduction of marine pollution and ocean acidification, the protection of marine biodiversity, ecosystems and habitats, prevention of overfishing and sustainable use of marine resources including coastal and marine tourism, protection of local small scale fisheries, knowledge generation, sharing and technology transfer as well as funding particularly for least developed countries . This is an important topic for most nations, which is an important part of our multiple crises caused by overconsumption, waste, energy use and overuse of resources, hence an essential topic for any individual, community or organisation but of course governments at all levels almost anywhere. 

At least marine biodiversity loss and resources overuse are some of the more widely discussed environmental (but also social and economic) topics and even if people have hardly heard of the SDG before, they are certainly aware (and may have been impacted by) marine pollution or resources overuse. 

It has to be said upfront that everything said about achieving SDG 14 is in context of the separate but more recent UN Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of 2022 (which had already precursor agreements), which determines the globally agreed upon actions on biodiversity loss, but which is  also part of the SDG14 targets and it would be highly desirable to integrate the SDGs and biodiversity goals and targets of the  Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework  much more closely, in order to be able to achieve all, due to their tight interconnectedness. 

Why does SDG 14 matter?

Our oceans - their temperature, circulation, chemistry and ecosystems - play a fundamental role in making life possible on earth and are the cradle of all life. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, and a large part of our food, and even the oxygen in the air which we breathe, are all connected to and regulated by the oceans and their interdependent systems.

While many of us associate oceans with beauty and leisure, they actually play many critical planetary functions, including:

• Plankton and aquatic plants in the ocean provide 50% of the oxygen we use to breathe and live.
• The ocean is a crucial part of our global weather, climate and temperature regulations systems. 98% of the heat from the sun is absorbed by the Ocean. This heat is then moved around the earth via currents.
• The ocean acts as a “carbon sink” and absorbs about 31% of the CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere and acts as a buffer towards more rapidly increasing temperatures.
• The ocean plays a key role in the water cycle.  When the sun shines and the warm currents heat the Ocean, water evaporates. This not only forms clouds but also increases the air temperature and the humidity, creating weather. The clouds then get blown back over the land where it rains, and this water is used by every living thing on the planet before making its way back to the Ocean. Without this process, most of our planet would be desert.

The ocean is a crucial source of food for people and animals. The Ocean provides protein to nearly 3 billion humans every year.

In addition to these fundamental life systems, the ocean is also a massive part of our global economy. The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates oceans contribute $70 trillion to global gross domestic product (GDP) annually.

Throughout history, oceans and seas have played important roles as global resources for trade and transport as well as sustaining livelihoods for millenia.

Healthy oceans and seas are essential to our existence. They cover 70 percent of our planet and are the world’s largest ecosystem and we rely on them for food, energy and water as well as livelihoods for more than 3 billion people and help combat the effects of climate change. Yet, we have managed to do tremendous damage to these precious resources

Alarming trends from declining fish stocks, marine pollution, eutrophication, ocean acidification, rising ocean temperatures, mounting plastic pollution and habitat destruction threaten marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of coastal communities worldwide.

By now almost a third of the worldwide fish stocks are overfished and more than 60 % are at the edge of becoming overfished, hence more than 90% of fish stocks are at or beyond their limits.  

• The global trend of elevated coastal eutrophication continued in 2022 above the 2000-2004 baseline conditions, though different in magnitude from recent years. The highest rates are in the Arabian Sea.
• Approximately up to 12 million tons of plastic are released in the ocean annually provoking the death of 100 million marine animals each year. And the situation is set to becoming worse. According to the McArthur report, there could be 850-950 million tons of plastic in the ocean by 2050, potentially outweighing the number of fish populations. Already now Pacific Ocean garbage patches extend to 3x the size of France and plastic including micro- and nano-plastics are present everywhere. 
• Ocean acidification is increasing and will continue to do so if carbon dioxide emissions do not stop rising, threatening marine ecosystems and the services they provide. Today, the ocean's average pH is 8.04. This means that the ocean today is more than 30% more acidic than in pre-industrial times with strong regional differences in the pace of change. This is one of the nine planetary boundaries, which is close to being breached (as the seventh of the nine). 
• Since 20223 an unprecedented coral bleaching episode has spread to 84 percent of the world's reefs in an unfolding human-caused crisis that could permanently kill off 70 to 90% of these essential ecosystems if global warming exceeds 1.5°C. Coral reefs support not just marine life but hundreds of millions of people living in coastal communities around the world by providing food, protection from storms, and livelihoods through fishing and tourism.
• Fishery resources continue to be threatened by overfishing, pollution, poor management and other factors, including illegal fishing. More than a third (35.4%) of global stocks were overfished in 2019, an increase of 1.2% since 2017. Despite ongoing deterioration, the rate of decline has decelerated in recent years. However, the trend continues to deteriorate from the 2020 target to restore fish stocks to biologically sustainable levels.
• Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens the social, economic and environmental sustainability of global fisheries, hindering countries’ abilities to manage their fisheries effectively. The first binding international agreement to specifically target IUU fishing, the Agreement of Port State Measures, now has 102 States covered under the Agreement (from 25 in 2016), covering 63% of the world’s coastal States. States have made good overall progress with close to 75% scoring highly in their degree of implementation of relevant international instruments in 2022 compared to 70% in 2018.
• Globally, the degree of application of frameworks that recognize and protect access rights for small-scale fisheries in 2022 was at the highest level based on available data, reaching a maximum score of 5 out of 5. However, this score conceals a reduced number of countries that contributed to the reporting.
• So far around 8% of coastal and marine areas are under some form of protection, a value which has increased in recent years, however is far away from the agreed upon value of 30% to be reached by 2030, with huge regional and national differences, plus the level and enforcement varies widely so that only around 3% of areas are considered to be under high levels of protection so far. 
• Even though the ocean covers more than 70% of the surface of our planet and contributes to 2.5% of the world gross value added, on average, between 2013 to 2021, only 1.1% of national research budgets were allocated for ocean science.

While there has been some progress in expanding marine protected areas and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing over the years, we must protect them by eliminating pollution and overfishing and immediately start to responsibly manage and protect all marine life around the world.

We must learn how to radically reduce impacts on the oceans and overuse of their resources  in the next few years, to combat and eventually reverse the harm that we have inflicted on the oceans and with it on ourselves.

From eradication of poverty (SDG 1), end hunger (SDG 2), provision of good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), and gender equality (SDG 5), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), decent work (SDG 8), sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12), combat climate change (SDG 13) and life on land (SDG 15),  SDG 14 not only connects with all SDGs and their targets  in a direct and indirect manner, but the achievement of SDG 14 is important to achieve any of the other SDGs hence the type and way of adapting ocean pollution and acidification reduction, the protection of marine environments and habitats, prevent overfishing the the sustainable management of fish stocks, protect local small scale fisheries and hence livelihoods, improve knowledge generation and transfer as well as education, institutional planning and increased protection measures financing and more are critical, be it for the environment, for society and economy. SDG 14 is an important SDG for all!

After all, the oceans and seas are the cradle of all life and the life support systems for all of us, human or non-human.

Key targets and indicators

SDG 14 is defined by 10 targets, which  are measured by 10  indicators. Due to its importance  by its focus SDG 14 is a major SDG to tackle as it affects the lives a third of the global population directly and indirectly all of us and will be important for the future world we will inhabit, ensuring progress can be tracked and goals can be met, that look at all dimensions of life below water. This goal also looks at ocean pollution, ocean acidification, ocean  fisheries, protection of and sustainable use of ocean resources, access and protection  of small scale fisheries, improvement of scientific knowledge and more. The main targets summarised include (if you want to know the exact wording in the Agenda 2030 you should have a look here):

• prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities
• Sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts
• Minimise and address the impacts of ocean acidification
• Effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans
• Conserve at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law
• Prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
• Increase the economic benefits to small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources
• Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology
• Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets
• Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

The Agenda 2030 and SDGs were adopted in 2015 covering many aspects of sustainable social, environmental and economic development. However, as with SDG 13 also for SDG 14 (and SDG 15) other and additional international agreements are of great relevance and importance. This includes the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), which was adopted in 2023 by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which includes agreements on marine genetic resources and their fair use, marine protected areas and area-based management tools, environmental impact assessments and capacity building and knowledge transfer. In addition,  the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in 2022. This historic Framework, which supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and builds on the Convention’s previous Strategic Plans (which were not achieved), sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. Among the Framework’s key elements are 4 goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030 (including the protection of 30% of seas by 2030). The UN recognises that all global sustainability frameworks are complementary and reinforcing so the ultimate goal of SDG 14 is to achieve these other agreements as well.

Challenges & Progress

Oceans, seas and other marine resources are essential to human well-being and social and economic development worldwide. Their conservation and sustainable use are central to achieving the 2030 Agenda, especially for small island developing states it is a matter of survival. Marine resources are particularly important for people living in coastal communities, who represented 40 percent of the world's population in 2024, which continues to rise. Oceans provide livelihoods, subsistence and benefits from fisheries, tourism and other sectors. They also help regulate the global ecosystem by absorbing heat and carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. However, oceans and coastal areas are extremely vulnerable to environmental degradation, overfishing, climate change and pollution.

Despite some progress in some areas, progress towards SDG 14 still faces substantial challenges and so far is far too little too late, and as diverse as this SDG is, from combating illegal and overfishing, preventing pollution and further acidification, protecting marine ecosystems and habitats,  research and financing particularly for developing countries, a lack of progress in most areas related to ocean protection and sustainable resources management and more, stifle the implementation of SDG 14.  At the same time due to already breaching at least 6 of the 9 planetary boundaries (of which five of the nine boundaries are also related to oceans where four of those five have been crossed and the sixth (ocean acidification) is close to be crossed). Furthermore the mounting impacts from ocean degeneration and overuse combined with social inequalities and deprivation of our life support systems  are under increasing pressure and vulnerability, making it more and more difficult for socially equitable and environmentally sustainable development for all to proceed with mounting costs, which by far exceed the costs of mitigation and adaptation (by factors of 6 to 10) aside from the human and environmental suffering and destruction all the way to potential collapse of civilisations. 

"Save the oceans, and the oceans will save us." – Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist and Explorer

With increasing overuse of marine resources, increased overfishing and degeneration of marine and coastal ecosystems as well as accelerating impacts of ocean pollution, ocean acidification, plastic pollution, and ocean temperature rises our oceans are under significant simultaneous threats with significant possibilities of widespread fish stock collapses, extensive coral reef die offs, creation of ocean deserts & dead zones, break down of coastal tourism, coastal erosion and flooding, reduction in CO2 absorption, dramatic changes to ocean currents and connected effects on the global weather and climate systems. 

Overall the latest UN SDG progress report on SDG 14 shows very little progress from regression (ocean acidification, sustainable fishing, marine resources for poor communities/countries, research & technology), marginal progress (marine pollution, manage and protect marine & coastal ecosystems, conservation of marine & coastal ecosystems), to moderate progress (fisheries subsidies, conservation & sustainable use) and one target so far on track (with reservations on data availability) (small scale and artisanal fisheries), but the data are clear we are overall way off track with regional differences and hugely significant acceleration and a step change is required on all of  the SDG 14 targets. 

Countries have made some strides in meeting obligations under SDG 14 in relation to ocean protection but efforts to address these mounting concerns remain uneven. Comprehensive global action is under way under various agreements, yet it must accelerate significantly. 

Marine and coastal protection measures have increased and improved in recent years, but require substantial expansion and acceleration. Similarly reforming fisheries subsidies and supporting small scale fisheries has progressed somewhat at least in some countries and regions, but all is way off track so far. 

Rising ocean temperatures and increase in ocean acidification are directly related to climate change which leads to increased severity, frequency and extent of climate impacts and overwhelming other adaptation and management measures (e.g. loss of coral reefs irrespective of their protection status). In addition, emerging issues in relation to deep sea mining are not directly covered by SDG 14, but are part of other international treaties or negotiations, which is similarly the case for plastic pollution, for which an international treaty is under negotiation at the moment and requires urgent completion and implementation. 

Our current governance structures and approaches are not responsive enough to meet the interconnected challenges that result from the accelerated speed and scale of environmental change and rising inequalities. Fragmented and siloed institutions, as well as short- term, contradictory and non-inclusive policies have significant potential to put achievement of the global development and sustainability targets at risk. This can be addressed by moving towards holistic and systemic governance approaches’: more integrated, inclusive, equitable, coordinated and adaptive approaches.

If you would like to know more about where your country currently stands with SDG 14 (and all other SDGs), you can check out the latest Sustainable Development Report - Country Profiles (as well as Rankings, Interactive Maps and a Data Explorer), and additional visual presentations available on Our World in Data or more specifically UN Policy Brief on Marine Pollution or about the Fight against Plastic Pollution and the Plastic Atlas and last but not least on 2025 as a PIvotal Year for the Ocean. 

Our lifestyles heavily affect about 40% of the world’s oceans through pollution, fisheries depletion and coastal habitat loss, while ocean acidification due to anthropogenic climate change and plastic pollution now affect all of the oceans. Marine ecosystems provide the livelihood for many people in the world’s coastal communities, which represent 40% of humanity.

We live on an ocean planet, with three quarters of the Earth’ surface covered by oceans, containing 97% of the water and providing 99% of the living space by volume. Our actions on land affect the health of the oceans. Farming practices and pollution result in excess nutrients in rivers reaching the oceans, causing coastal dead zones. Marine ecosystems, supporting over 780 million people, are at high risk of coastal eutrophication. 

How to ensure we conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development?

As SDG 14 is and important part  of the Agenda 2030 and SDGs, it is the SDG which covers the largest area and diversity of ecosystems which together with particularly SDG 13 and SDG 12 require a true and entire transformation of our economies and societies starting from our relation with nature, the purpose of our economies as an action plan for people, planet and prosperity.

Policies addressing ocean protection and sustainable resources use and their social impacts that disproportionately affect the poor and promoting social justice can create greater social cohesion, leading to greater stability and security within societies.

Sustainable development and the achievement of viable future societies  requires key actions including implementing sustainable fishing practices, expanding marine protected areas to safeguard key biodiversity areas, increasing capacities to monitor ocean health and addressing the pollution that is choking waterways.

Priorities also include ensuring that the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies enters into force as soon as possible; increasing participation in the Agreement on Port State Measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; adopting a global plastic pollution instrument; and ensuring that the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction enters into force as soon as possible to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of oceans.

Progress largely depends on robust regulatory frameworks, financial incentives and support systems and public awareness and behaviour change campaigns

This requires interventions along a number of entry points involving a range of actors. Public policies are required to create conducive environments and influence the market and economy as a whole, including, along the same lines as for other SDGs (e.g. SDG 12, SDG13). A transformation of business practices along global value chains for marine exploitation is also required, including new and innovative business models in resource use and restoration. Some steps have been taken but implementation at scale remains a challenge for the coming years, but must be overcome rapidly, as well as our ability to develop and equitably distribute the socio economic benefits of this transformation. This should of course be the case of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and other international marine agreements, which are complex topics of discovery by themselves, suffice to say that progress has been very slow and insufficient so far.  

Like other SDGs, also SDG 14 and particularly because ocean health is particularly important for a large part of the world population and the functioning of many of the ecological support systems we rely upon.  That means that taking measures on protection of oceans and marine resources and their sustainable use and development  to achieve safe and resilient but also socially just futures will help us to achieve all of the SDGs if done well and tightly interconnected with all goals in a systemic manner. It would require a multifaceted and multi-dimensional and transformative approach, but in general SDG 14  (combined with the other ocean related agreements) is one of the very complex and tightly interconnected (with other) SDGs to tackle which will require transformations on many levels like poverty, hunger, health, education, social protection, decent work, energy, water, sanitation, agriculture, industry, environmental protection, waste management, tourism and more, particularly for vulnerable and disadvantaged peoples, regions and countries. Some of the more higher level (and often global to national) aspects of achieving SDG 14 could possibly include in summary (but by far not be limited to) of what is already spelled out in the targets, something like the following, which aim to create a more holistic approach to various interconnected areas of ocean protection and sustainable use. Furthermore and of course a number of policy options are already included in and mentioned in other SDGs as well, which directly relate to SDG 14 and as SDGs are interconnected they require parallel implementation as a whole system in order to achieve the desired transformative outcomes, acknowledging that some regions have or are developing various policies in these areas (e.g.Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Marine Fisheries Policies by the EU). 

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Expand and enforce MPAs to safeguard marine biodiversity and fully implement all other international agreements on and related to oceans (e.g. 30% of oceans protected by 2030).

• Sustainable Fisheries Management: Strengthen regulations to combat overfishing and illegal fishing and promote and enforce sustainable fishing practices.
• Pollution Control: Enforce policies to reduce plastic and chemical pollution in and into oceans (including nutrient loads from land).
• Climate Action: Implement measures to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate ocean acidification.
• Ecosystem Restoration: Support and initiate initiatives to restore vital marine habitats like coral reefs and mangroves and other important coastal and marine areas (e.g. kelp forests).
• Research and Education: Invest in ocean science, science and technology and public education to enhance understanding and stewardship of marine environments.
• Small Scale Fishing: Support, protect and enhance the protection of small scale and artisanal local fishing to provide income and livelihoods for coastal communities (against large scale commercial fishing). 
• Sustainable Aquaculture: Tightly regulate and control marine aquaculture to protect local ecosystems and prevent pollution, resources overuse and prevent unsustainable practices. 

Over 3 billion people’s livelihoods directly depend on marine and coastal biodiversity. The oceans and coastal resources provide approximately US$ 3 trillion in value to the global economy annually. Marine fisheries directly or indirectly create jobs for 200 million people. The proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels dropped from 90 to 69% between 1974 and 2013. In addition to livelihood and subsistence, oceans provide cultural connection, recreation and tourism opportunities.

The world’s oceans play a critical role in global temperature and atmospheric regulation. The oceans make the Earth habitable for humanity and the rest of life. By 2014, only  8.4% of the marine environment under national jurisdiction was under protection, while there has been a slow rise from 15 to 19%, in the proportion of marine key biodiversity areas under protection worldwide. However, the level of protection and enforcement of the protection status varies widely. 

Throughout the SDG posts we have regularly mentioned the term bioregional next to local. It's a term coined quite a while ago, but has come into more frequent use recently, because sustainable and regenerative development needs to start at the local level but will need to go beyond it to sustain human and non-human life everywhere. Hence, for SDG 14 its an appropriate point to provide a bit of a side step into bio-regioning as was already the case in SDG 6 and SDG 11, in case you missed it. 

The past century has been marked by the rise of globalisation in every sense of the word - through production, culture, agriculture, consumption and more. This trend has brought great wealth and opportunities to many people and misery for many others - but what have we lost and forgotten through this process? 

Bioregioning is about  the necessity of reconnecting to our local places for the sake of addressing our ecological, social, and economic challenges.In need for decentralized governance and institutions, as well as communities organized around resilience and regeneration. 

• How deep are the historical and indigenous ties of humanity to the bioregional way of life?
•  In what ways can individuals begin to engage with their local bioregions and contribute to a regenerative future? ,
• Finally, how can more humans who are connected and in relationship with the land influence future societies and cultures to be more aligned to the well-being of all life?

These and other questions are eloquently discussed in a roundtable between Daniel Christian Wahl, Samantha Power, and Isabel Carlisle, facilitated by Nate Hagens of the Great Simplification project as Bioregioning 101. More on bioregions will also be covered as part of the SDGs Multipliers course (see below). Gaia Education is currently offering a new online course on ‘ Bioregioning in Practice’ together with some of the world leaders in that field and will start on 21st April 2025. So sign up for it today. 

Instead of putting too much emphasis on generic larger scale ‘solutions’, which are likely somewhat removed from the realities and contexts of many local to bioregional communities wherever they are and these and similar policies are likely not sufficient to steer us towards regenerative futures. And because the supported approach by Gaia Education for regenerative design and development, is about the context specific potential of each and every place and community. Hence, we want to support the life affirming or life regenerating local to bioregional conversations and co-creative processes which should be a starting point of whole systems based realisation of SDG 14 and all strongly linked and all other SDG systemically together. From this we provide some useful questions to ask yourself or a group you work with locally in relation to SDG 14 (sourced from the Gaia Education SDG Flashcards) in a multidimensional manner in the social, ecological, economic and worldview/cultural dimensions. SDG 14 which is about local to bioregional communities is particularly suitable for applying community level processes (in coastal communities or elsewhere alike) for tackling this and all related SDGs head on. 

As you already know, The SDG Flashcards can provide you with some ideas on how one can possibly work with the SDGs in different (not top down but bottom up) and generative approaches. Based and part of the Gaia Education SDG Flashcards, they contain more than 200 questions on the system-wide approach to achieving the 2030 Agenda.

The cards enable a participatory and problem-centric group conversation and solutions oriented multi-perspectival dialogue. They invite participants to engage and to collaborate to identify actions and solutions to implement the SDGs in ways that are relevant to their lives and communities, locally. This is an effective way to establish local to bioregional community ownership and realisation for the UN SDGs.

The SDG Flashcards are used in the SDG Training of Multipliers. Check out the freely downloadable SDG Training of Multipliers Handbook for a detailed description of how to prepare, promote, and how to use these cards  more easily to promote community activist training, in various settings (e.g. local public bodies, communities, schools, universities, business etc.) as well as many other tools from our SDG webpages.

There are of course many examples of working on SDG 14  and  life below water, sometimes also in a systemic way  (First post on SDGs). 

Gaia Education is involved in educational and training offerings which support the implementation of the SDGs including SDG 14, but is also part of projects and initiatives where at least one, mostly several SDGs are targeted. However and interestingly Gaia Education has so far not been involved in projects and initiatives which specifically target SDG 14, even though of course other projects and initiatives touch onto it to a larger or lesser extent (see project examples in the other SDGs explained posts series). We are of course always open to and interested in projects and initiatives on the SDGs and also with a focus on SDG 14 and would be interested in getting involved if you have such existing or future project ideas for life below water. 

Hence, how does your local community's life below water SDG project or initiative look like? 

Again, let’s take our future into our own hands, and start your SDG journey and locally to bio-regionally  based community project or initiative now!

And to close if you would like to learn much more about SDG 14 and all other SDGs and the Agenda 2030 and many more topics, approaches and methods to practically work with the SDG in your local to bioregional context we encourage you  to start or re-invigorate your personal SDG journey through the upcoming online SDGs Multipliers course, starting on 20th October 2025. 

Join the course!

For more and the video affine the SDG 14 LIfe Below Water - UN Sustainable Development Goals - DEEP DIVE

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