New Zealand's Marine Environment

Oceans are enormously important to human lives. Water covers more than 70 per cent, or just over 365 million square kilometres, of the globe. The Pacific Ocean, alone, is 25 per cent larger than all the world’s land areas combined. By volume, the ocean accounts for more than 99 per cent of all living space on earth. All water on earth is ultimately connected and inter-linked. The oceans drive our climate and rainfall, replenishing lakes and rivers, which in turn drain back into the sea. ²³⁸⁹

New Zealand is fortunate to have a very extensive and diverse marine area. It is home to numerous plant, invertebrate, fish, marine mammal and seabird species. The identity of many of these species, and the interactions between them, are still not fully understood. In combination with increasing pressures like climate change and land discharges, this makes the effective management of the marine environment a considerable challenge.

Last updated at 2:02PM on February 6, 2018