The health of an ocean ecosystem can be measured in a variety of ways, including the condition of the water, diversity of flora and fauna, beach quality, and economic opportunities provided by recreational activities. To assess the status of ocean health, one tool used is the annual Ocean Health Index. This index quantifies the benefits that individuals and societies receive from ocean ecosystems.
According to the most recent data, four out of the five lowest-scoring countries with over 100,000 residents are located in Africa and the Middle East. Ranking lowest on the index is Eritrea with a score of 54.8 followed by Ivory Coast and Republic of Congo with scores of 54.9 and 55.9 respectively. These countries struggle in areas such as food provision, livelihoods, economies, and coastal protection. However, some islands off the eastern coast of Africa have a different story to tell. Seychelles leads the list with a score of 86.6, excelling in natural products, carbon storage and tourism and recreation while Mayotte also ranks highly in ocean health alongside Portugal who scored 81%.
The global average index score is at 73.5 which represents a slight increase from previous editions. The Ocean Health Index was established in 2012 to evaluate how well ocean systems can sustainably provide people with necessary benefits and services while considering ten overarching goals including biodiversity, clean waters, carbon storage, food provision among others
