How Healthy are the Oceans?

We don’t get too many chances to talk about water issues – or at least not as many chances as the topic deserves – and we have even fewer to talk about ocean issues. But a new project to measure the health of the oceans recently caught our attention and we wanted to share it with our readers.

Conservation International, the brains behind what they are calling a “Dow Jones” for ocean health, is in the process of creating an Ocean Health Index. Due to launch in February 2012, the index will be,

a new world standard for gauging ocean health – a measuring stick to show whether our efforts to improve ocean governance and health are successful. . It will guide decision makers in the actions they take and raise global public awareness and support for ocean conservation.

Conservation International hopes to unite the various coastal communities of the world by bringing the health of the oceans they use for work and play to the forefront of their attention. The list of collaborators on the project is impressive. From the National Geographic Society, the Zoological Society of London, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, some serious scientific and environmental groups are supporting the effort. We’re excited to see what the index reveals in February.

Learn more about the index at its Conservation International site.

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