Management of Aquatic Ecosystems and Aquatic Vegetation for Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems are a critical element of the natural environment because they enable human activities like fishing, aquaculture, and recreation while also providing habitat for biodiversity and controlling water quality. Water pollution is a significant, deadly, and uncontrolled global issue due to a lack of knowledge, awareness, and the strict application of eco-friendly norms, legislation, and financial resources. Moreover, water scarcity affects ~40% of the global population as a result of climate change, aquatic weeds, algal blooms, heavy metal contamination, rapid urbanization, nutritional demand, and unrestrained use of natural resources. Aquatic ecosystems also provide opportunities to sustainably manage climate change, disaster risk, and pollution, if managed strategically. For instance, aquatic plants absorb pollutants from the water and clean it; these plants can be further utilized as a source of bioenergy resources. Furthermore, remote sensing tools used for monitoring, regulating the environmental repercussions, and comprehending the mechanisms controlling their spatial distribution, need real-time observations of toxins and marine pollutants over a variety of spatial scales. Therefore, a suitable legislative framework is a crucial tool for the sustainability of the aquatic ecosystems (freshwater, marine, and coastal) for achieving the SDG 14 targets. It will only be possible to achieve the objective of a sustainable economy by fostering a blue economy through the implementation of an integrated maritime policy. Therefore, establishing the proper legal framework is essential to carrying out the marine resources’ strategy efficiently. This chapter mainly focuses on challenges faced by aquatic ecosystems due to various natural and anthropogenic disturbances, conventional to advanced remote sensing tools to monitor it, and also suggests policy interventions and possible sustainable solutions to achieve UN-SDG 14. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Prem Chandra Pandey, Prashant K. Srivastava, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava; individual chapters, the contributors.