In brief
The High Seas Treaty, designed to safeguard our oceans, has crossed the ratification threshold, now set to come into effect in January. This achievement follows two decades of negotiations and reflects a growing global commitment to marine conservation amid rising concerns over biodiversity loss and climate change impacts. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the treaty's potential to establish binding rules for ocean conservation.
A global agreement designed to protect the world's oceans and reverse damage to marine life is set to become international law. The High Seas Treaty received its 60th ratification by Morocco on Friday, meaning that it will now take effect from January.
The deal, which has been two decades in the making, will pave the way for international waters to be placed into marine protected areas. Environmentalists heralded the milestone as a monumental achievement and evidence that countries can work together for environmental protection.
Covering more than two-thirds of the ocean, the agreement sets binding rules to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
Decades of overfishing, pollution from shipping, and warming oceans from climate change have damaged life below the surface. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nearly 10% of marine species are at risk of extinction.
In the latest assessment of marine species, countries agreed that 30% of the world's national and international waters - the high seas - must be protected by 2030 to help depleted marine life recover. However, protecting the high seas is challenging as no one country controls these waters.
Currently, just 1% of the high seas are protected, leaving marine life vulnerable to overexploitation. In 2023, nations signed the High Seas Treaty, pledging to establish 30% of these waters as Marine Protected Areas.
Ratification was essential for the treaty to enter force, requiring over 60 nations to be legally bound by it—a process which can often exceed five years for parliamentary approvals.
Kirsten Schuijt, director-general of the World Wide Fund for Nature, described the milestone as a monumental achievement. Likewise, Mads Christensen, executive director of Greenpeace International, labeled it a landmark moment for collaboration towards ocean protection.
Once implemented, signatory countries will propose regions for protection, subject to voting. Critics, however, highlight that individual nations will conduct their own environmental assessments, which may limit oversight.
Ensuring the health of the oceans is paramount for all life on Earth. It constitutes the largest ecosystem, contributes significantly to global economies, and plays a crucial role in oxygen production.
