After nearly a decade of discussions followed by two weeks of intense negotiations, the United Nations delegates have agreed upon a treaty that will protect international waters across the globe. The members of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction finalised the international agreement on Saturday.

“This action is a victory for multilateralism and for global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health, now and for generations to come,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who called the successful negotiations an important “breakthrough”.

The Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty, or as it’s popularly called the High Seas Treaty, will extend protection to over 30 percent of international waters.

Why is the treaty needed?

With climate change, overfishing, and shipping traffic posing grave threats to marine life, including sharks, whales, abalone species, and countless other aquatic organisms, the need for the treaty's protective measures has never been more pressing. In fact, nearly 10 percent of marine species are at risk of extinction, according to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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With only 39 percent of the world’s oceans falling within national jurisdictions, the rest of the ocean has been designated as international waters or the high seas. As countries have equal rights to fish, ship or research in these international, there is scant protection for marine aquatic life in these areas. Despite increasing risks, only 1 percent of international waters are under any kind of protection.

As a result, rampant fishing, exploitation, and unsustainable practices have endangered marine life especially whales, sharks, rays and hundreds of other fish species.

The threat of increasing plastic pollution in the ocean and climate change that is raising oceanic temperatures have made the risk of extinction more probable for a large portion of aquatic flora and fauna. While there already exist a large number of international conventions and organisations trying to protect the oceans, their limited jurisdictions limit their effectiveness.

What will the treaty do?

The agreement that has been recently signed aims to allocate an astounding 30 percent of the Earth's oceans as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The treaty will also provide essential funding for marine conservation. This is in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework which aims to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030.

To mitigate risks and safeguard marine life, the treaty provides for the designation of protected areas within international waters, which will be proposed by participating countries and voted on collectively. While certain activities will still be permitted in these areas, they must align with the conservation objectives of the MPAs, which prioritise the protection of marine life from harm. This could result in stricter regulations on activities such as fishing, shipping, and deep-sea mining, which pose significant threats to the ocean's delicate ecosystems. Deep-sea mining, in particular, is a source of serious concern that might be regulated far more heavily after the treaty goes into effect.

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In addition, the treaty establishes arrangements for sharing marine genetic resources and requires environmental impact assessments for deep-sea activities, such as mining. The agreement will also set global standards for environmental impact assessments on commercial activities in the ocean. These assessments will also consider cumulative impacts, ensuring that the ocean's health is prioritised.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)