More Countries Agree to Protect the ‘High Seas’ in a Step Toward Wider Ocean Conservation

Stingray on ocean floor
A stingray swims on the ocean floor. Several shark and ray species are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, climate change and habitat loss. Jernej Furman via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0

In 2022, at the United Nations biodiversity conference COP15, parties agreed to a “30 by 30” goal for ocean conservation: a plan to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030. Almost three years later, only 2.7 percent of the world’s oceans are fully or highly protected, according to the nonprofit Marine Conservation Institute.

“It’s the Wild West out there with countries just fishing anywhere without any sort of regulation,” Mauro Randone, a marine biologist at the World Wildlife Fund, tells the Associated Press’ Annika Hammerschlag.

Amid the increased pressure to keep our oceans healthy, at least 50 countries have now ratified an international agreement for marine protection known as the High Seas Treaty—and at least 19 more have promised they will ratify it by the end of the year. The treaty is set to come into effect 120 days after 60 countries ratify it.

Several of the new commitments were announced at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, last week. At the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said the High Seas Treaty is now on track to take effect by early 2026 and could become a major force in ocean conservation.

Finalized in 2023, the High Seas Treaty, officially the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, would allow nations to designate marine protected areas (MPAs) in the “high seas,” or the international waters that cover nearly two-thirds of the world’s oceans. MPAs function similarly to national parks, setting aside swaths of the ocean to preserve the marine life within them. They can protect biodiversity and improve carbon sequestration, which is how the ocean stores atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Notably, the United States has not ratified the treaty, and the country didn’t send a formal delegation to the conference, per the AP. The U.S. is often absent from international environmental agreements, since two-thirds of the Senate needs to support ratification of a treaty, then the president may ratify it.

“The implementation will take years, but it is critical we start now and we don’t let the U.S. absence stop that from happening,” High Seas Alliance director Rebecca Hubbard said at the conference, per Reuters’ Manuel Ausloos and Clotaire Achi.

Progress so far has been largely led by smaller countries. During the conference, French Polynesia took a step toward the 30 by 30 goal by announcing the creation of the world’s largest MPA, which would cover almost two million square miles—about three times the size of Alaska.

“We’ve been managing [French Polynesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone] wisely for centuries,” French Polynesian president Moetai Brotherson tells Time magazine’s Simmone Shah. “But now we wanted to take a bold step to be in line with the international standards of the [International Union for Conservation of Nature].”

For the 30 by 30 goal set two years ago to be met, around an additional 27 percent of the world’s oceans would need to be declared as protected areas under the treaty. Deciding where exactly to place MPAs—as well as how to pay for and monitor them—will be additional hurdles for governments to overcome, writes POLITICO Europe’s Leonie Cater.

Phytoplankton and zooplankton in seawater.
Phytoplankton, which derive energy from photosynthesis, and zooplankton, which feed on phytoplankton, are seen under a phase-contrast microscope. Phytoplankton help contribute to Earth's breathable air. willapalens via Flickr under CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0

A healthy ocean is vital for a healthy climate. According to the United Nations, Earth’s oceans absorb about 25 percent of carbon emissions, and marine organisms like phytoplankton generate about 50 percent of the planet’s oxygen.

“The ocean is the ultimate shared resource. But we are failing it,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during the conference, according to Reuters. He cited sea-level rise, ocean acidification and overfishing as major concerns. Additionally, looming threats like increased deep-sea mining could further compromise the ocean’s health.

In the United Kingdom, British naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough pleaded for an increase in ocean protection before the conference kicked off. “What we have done to the deep ocean floor is just unspeakably awful,” Attenborough told Prince William in a televised interview this month. “If you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms.”

Experts hope the High Seas Treaty will empower nations to boost their conservation efforts. “The high seas belong to everyone and no one practically at the same time, and countries are finally committing to establishing some rules,” biologist Randone tells the AP.

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