World Ocean Assessment – Overview
The first World Ocean Assessment (WOA) is a report on the state of the planet’s oceans. It is the product of the first cycle of the Regular Process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including socio-economic aspects, which was established after the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. The assessment, though not a policy document, is intended to provide a scientific basis for action by governments, intergovernmental processes, policy-makers and others involved in ocean affairs. It offers a baseline for gauging the effectiveness of management and policy decisions and provides guidance in developing strategies and technologies to solve problems. This overview looks at the results of the first WOA in a framework that distinguishes driving forces, pressures, states, impacts and responses (called the “DPSIR framework”). The DPSIR framework provides a structure to broadly examine the state of the world’s oceans and reflects the relationship between the marine environment and human activity.
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