High Seas Treaty - a step closer to ocean conservation

After 10-year-long negotiation, nations have finally reached an agreement to protect the world’s oceans and their resources. The last international agreement was signed in 1982 (The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea), an action postponed for more than 40 years, due to negotiations being delayed over multiple disagreements on funding, fishing rights and distribution of ocean bioresources. This Saturday marks a historical event in shrinking the gap of climate change and building a sustainable future.

What is the High Seas Treaty?

At present day, two-thirds of the world’s oceans are considered international waters and aren’t subject to jurisdiction or protection. This grants permission to any and all countries to fish, ship and do research in those areas, with only 1% of these waters, commonly referred to as high seas, being left protected. Unfortunately, this leaves larger areas of the high seas unprotected and under risk of exploitation, due to overfishing, shipping traffic and the increasing threats of climate change.

The High Seas Treaty is a national agreement, aimed at widening the protected ocean areas by 30% until 2030, to safeguard and rebuild marine life.

What species are at risk?

The latest assessment of global marine species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), found that nearly 10% of marine life was at risk of or on the brink of extinction. Among those, coral reefs, sharks and rays, fish, molluscs and green algae, are all at risk of vanishing due to multiple human activities, with the main causes being overfishing and pollution. Whales, shellfish and sharks are under the biggest threat, because of their high value properties in the food and pharmaceuticals industry.

If we provide sanctuaries for these aquatic animals to inhabit, most of marine life and marine resources will have the time to recover. In addition to establishing clear limits on how much fishing can take place, it will also deprive countries from the opportunity to exploit deep sea mining - an activity where minerals are extracted from the sea bed over 200m below the surface. Scientists and Environmental activists are deeply concerned about the repercussions deep sea mining can cause, such as disturbing breeding grounds, releasing toxic sediments into the water stream and increasing noise pollution.

Will this make a change?

Many commend the countries for putting aside their differences and coming together to sign a treaty that will protect and build resilience for our oceans in the fight against climate change, while also protecting the lives and livelihoods of billions. However, many wonder how this change will be implemented and enforced overtime. For it to be legally agreed, the treaty must be formally adopted and only enters into force once enough countries have signed up and legally adopted the practice into their own laws. While we would need a number of countries to agree, the more pressing matter would be to get wealthy countries with the most resources to adopt this practice, for it to fully take effect. Upon estimation, at least 40 countries need to agree in order to implement the treaty properly. Furthermore, if protected areas are not properly connected, the impact might be minimal for the majority of migratory species, which may travel across unprotected areas, where they pose the same risks of fishing and exposure to harmful human activities.

We have reached an admirable landmark on our journey to sustainability, but there is still a lot left to accomplish for us to create a safe, clean and booming environment for our marine life. The most important thing to take from this is that when we’re working together towards a bright future we will ensure the restoration of nature and ultimately win the fight against climate change.