For the primary time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to guard biodiversity within the high seas, representing a turning point in a yearslong effort to bestow order on vast stretches of the planet where conservation has previously been hampered by a confusing patchwork of laws.
The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea got here into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept. The treaty agreement concluded two weeks of talks in Recent York.
An updated framework to guard marine life within the regions outside national boundary waters, often known as the high seas, had been in discussions for greater than 20 years, but previous efforts to succeed in an agreement had repeatedly stalled. The unified agreement treaty, which applies to just about half the planet’s surface, was reached late Saturday.
“We only really have two major global commons — the atmosphere and the oceans,” said Georgetown marine biologist Rebecca Helm. While the oceans may draw less attention, “protecting this half of earth’s surface is completely critical to the health of our planet.”
Nichola Clark, an oceans expert on the Pew Charitable Trusts who observed the talks in Recent York, called the long-awaited treaty text “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to guard the oceans — a serious win for biodiversity.”
The treaty will create a latest body to administer the conservation of ocean life and establish marine protected areas within the high seas. And Clark said that is critical to realize the U.N. Biodiversity Conference’s recent pledge to guard 30% of the planet’s waters, in addition to its land, for conservation.
Treaty negotiations initially were anticipated to conclude Friday, but stretched through the night and deep into Saturday. The crafting of the treaty, which at times looked in jeopardy, represents “a historic and overwhelming success for international marine protection,” said Steffi Lemke, Germany’s environment minister.
“For the primary time, we’re getting a binding agreement for the high seas, which until now have hardly been protected,” Lemke said. “Comprehensive protection of endangered species and habitats is now finally possible on greater than 40% of the Earth’s surface.”
The treaty also establishes ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for industrial activities within the oceans.
“It means all activities planned for the high seas should be checked out, though not all will undergo a full assessment,” said Jessica Battle, an oceans governance expert on the Worldwide Fund for Nature.
Several marine species — including dolphins, whales, sea turtles and plenty of fish — make long annual migrations, crossing national borders and the high seas. Efforts to guard them, together with human communities that depend on fishing or tourism related to marine life, have long proven difficult for international governing bodies.
“This treaty will help to knit together the several regional treaties to give you the option to handle threats and concerns across species’ ranges,” Battle said.
That protection also helps coastal biodiversity and economies, said Gladys Martínez de Lemos, executive director of the nonprofit Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense specializing in environmental issues across Latin America.
“Governments have taken a very important step that strengthens the legal protection of two-thirds of the ocean and with it marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal communities,” she said.
The query now could be how well the ambitious treaty will likely be implemented. Formal adoption also stays outstanding, with quite a few conservationists and environmental groups vowing to make sure passage.
The high seas have long suffered exploitation on account of industrial fishing and mining, in addition to pollution from chemicals and plastics. The brand new agreement is about “acknowledging that the ocean is just not a limitless resource, and it requires global cooperation to make use of the ocean sustainably,” Rutgers University biologist Malin Pinsky said.