By now the world is aware that the oceans are dying a silent death because of coastal development, pollution, overfishing and climate change. Scientists know how to halt or reverse the chronic threats, but in the political arena they have faced defeat after defeat in trying to implement management that actually works. We need a radical shift away from the piecemeal regulation of small areas that has resulted. We need comprehensive zoning of the world’s oceans.

Across the globe, it is clear which marine areas are the most important to protect. Estuaries, coastal wetlands, reefs, submarine mountains and food-rich water flows are among the critical habitats that support wide swaths of the ocean’s ecology. But current governance does not allow us to use management tools and policy instruments in a systematic, holistic way. Zoning would.