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We suggest that this figure and timescale is a reasonable middle ground between social and scientific concerns. Specifically, we feel that this is the most conservative coverage amount that can be reasonably expected to provide considerable ecological benefits. Having a clear and explicit goal is important in several respects:
- FirstlyFirstly, it provides concrete goal towards which supporters of the plan can rally (Ballantine 1991).
- SecondlySecondly, providing a short, definite timescale provides a necessary urgency to the plan. Fifteen years is not an unreasonable timeframe for such a global project, considering that achievement of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals was scheduled to take fifteen years (United Nations 2005).
- FinallyFinally, a well-defined goal provides reassurance that the goal is not to eventually close off the entire ocean (Ballantine 1991). In other words, this proposal is a commitment to an "upper bound" unless clear evidence becomes available to indicate that 10% is not enough.
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