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REFORMING SUBSIDIES<br />

Box 6.3: Knock-on impacts of intensive agriculture: coastal ‘dead zones’ continue to spread<br />

Fertiliser run-off and fossil fuel use deprive massive areas of the ocean of any or enough oxygen, killing large<br />

swathes of sea life and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage (Juncosa 2008).<br />

Expanding coastal dead zones caused by nutrient run-off not only spell trouble for biodiversity but also<br />

threaten the commercial fisheries of many nations. Dead zones form seasonally in economically vital<br />

ecosystems worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay. Agricultural run-off sparks many<br />

of these die-offs; increased use of nitrogen fertilisers has doubled the number of lifeless pockets every decade<br />

since the 1960s, resulting in 405 dead zones now dotting coastlines globally. The map below splits the sites<br />

into documented hypoxic areas, areas of concern and systems in recovery.<br />

<strong>TEEB</strong> FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY MAKERS - CHAPTER 6: PAGE 13<br />

Source: WRI 2009

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