Marine Resources and Ecosystem Services: Evaluative Approaches for the City-Port Sustainable Developmen

In 2016, the "First World Ocean Assessment" stated that most of the ocean is now seriously degraded, with change in structure, functions and benefits from marine systems. Meanwhile, the earth surface warming due to anthropic impacts and climate change is one of the driving causes of loss of oxygen from oceans and eutrophisation. During the past 50 years, the open oceans have been losing approximately 1-2% of oxygen, while the extension of oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) has been quadrupling, covering an area approximately the size of the Europe. The IPCC 5th Assessment Report forecasts a gradual decrease of oxygen concentration, by 3-6% during the 21th century, which is detrimental to several marine organisms and terrestrial ecosystems too. Conversely, well-oxygenated oceans and coastal waters provide regulating and supporting services. The Ecosystem Services (ES) are goods and services but also conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems sustain and fulfill human life. The deoxygenation damages goods and services delivered by marine ecosystems to humans. In the context of integrated and transdisciplinary ES framework, which combines ecological, economic and social dimensions, four forms of assets (built, human, social and natural) contribute to human well-being through synergies and trade-offs. Since a complete and structured knowledge is the first step to conceive strategies for a sustainable management of the marine areas, increasing investments in this sector is crucial. In Italy, the 1.3% of Research and Development (R&D) funds have been allocated for the oceanographic research, nevertheless a gap of knowledge about the complex phenomena affecting the marine and coastal areas remains. Considering the sea resources supply and regulate a series of goods and services (e.g. rainwater, drinking water, climate, food, air and water oxygenation), the "SDGs, Agenda 2030" goal 14 aims to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources" as a key feature of a sustainable future.