Natural Products
Harvesting Non-food Ocean
Resources Sustainably
From seashells and sponges to aquarium fish, natural products contribute to local economies and international trade.
Global Goal Score
Likely Future State
Country Rankings
*The estimate of a goal’s likely near-term future status is a function of four dimensions: Status, Trend, Pressure, and Resilience.
What Does This Score Mean?
For each of the six products related to the Natural Products goal, the reference point is 35% below the maximum harvest that has been produced to date in the country or region being evaluated.
The 35% buffer protects against the possibility that the maximum historical harvest was not sustainable. The overall score is the weighted average of the individual scores for products that were harvested.
A high score indicates that a region’s current sustainable rate of harvest is near to and not more than 65% of the historic maximum possible sustainable harvest achieved in that region.
The more natural products extracted sustainably, the higher the score, provided that the harvest does not exceed the 65% safety level.
Current Score
The current score of 40 indicates that many countries have potential to improve sustainable harvests of natural products, either by eliminating overharvesting, increasing harvests that are too low, or reducing the pressures that decrease potential harvests.
Why Are Natural Products Important?
Natural Products Need to Be Managed Effectively
How Is It Measured?
Each goal is evaluated on the basis of four dimensions
Present Status
Present Status is a goal's current value (based on the most recent available data) compared to a reference point.
Trend
Trend is the average percent change in the present status for the most recent 5 years of data.
Pressures
Pressures are the sum of the ecological and social pressures that negatively affect scores for a goal.
Resilience
Resilience is the sum of the ecological factors and social initiatives (policies, laws, etc) that can positively affect scores for a goal by reducing or eliminating pressures.
Pressures
Pressures are human-caused stressors that influence both ecological and social systems, negatively affecting the ability of a goal to deliver its benefits to people.
Status
Status refers to the current value of a goal relative to its goal-specific reference point. The reference point is the best condition for a goal that can reasonably be achieved; it is a target to aim for when taking actions to improve ocean health.
Resilience
Resilience refers to the social, institutional, and ecological factors that positively affect the ability of a goal to deliver its benefits to people.
