Environmental Studies and Forestry

Targeting ocean conservation outcomes through threat reduction

J. A. Turner, M. Starkey, et al.

Despite the establishment of marine protected areas, biodiversity loss remains a pressing issue. This research extends the Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric to marine environments, revealing that unsustainable fishing poses the greatest risk. The authors highlight that a significant portion of the global marine STAR score is found outside protected zones, emphasizing the need for targeted actions to enhance biodiversity recovery.