SCIENCE-BASED TARGETS CAN PROTECT OCEANS

The document outlines a gap analysis of 25 frameworks relevant to marine renewables, shipping, tourism, and coastal development, finding that many lack granularity or specific sectoral guidance. It argues that current frameworks overemphasize avoidance and reduction while overlooking restoration and regeneration. To address this, WWF recommends that future science-based targets focus on three pillars: Capabilities (balancing ambition with feasibility and standardizing measurement), Collaboration (aligning with standards like TNFD and EU CSRD), and Communication (developing comprehensive guidelines and engaging financial institutions).

• A study of 25 frameworks relevant to the marine renewables, shipping, tourism, and coastal development sectors revealed that many existing frameworks address ocean health only tangentially, lack granularity regarding specific ocean pressures, or lack guidance tailored to sectoral challenges, leading to diluted efforts and overlapping mandates.
• Current frameworks exhibit an imbalance in mitigation strategies, where fundamental avoidance and reduction are well-represented, but restoration, regeneration, and transformation efforts are frequently overlooked due to their complexity.
• WWF recommends that future science-based targets be built on three pillars: Capabilities, which requires balancing ambition with feasibility and standardizing the measurement of ocean pressures; Collaboration, which involves aligning SBTN methodologies with the EU CSRD and TNFD; and Communication, which focuses on creating comprehensive guidelines and engaging financial institutions.

APA

WWF International (2024). SCIENCE-BASED TARGETS CAN PROTECT OCEANS. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1137/8qch4c8s0m_Ocean_Landscape_Analysis_1_pager_final.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. SCIENCE-BASED TARGETS CAN PROTECT OCEANS. 2024. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1137/8qch4c8s0m_Ocean_Landscape_Analysis_1_pager_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=SCIENCE-BASED TARGETS CAN PROTECT OCEANS |date=2024 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1137/8qch4c8s0m_Ocean_Landscape_Analysis_1_pager_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2024sciencebased, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{SCIENCE-BASED TARGETS CAN PROTECT OCEANS}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1137/8qch4c8s0m_Ocean_Landscape_Analysis_1_pager_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }