- Ocean
- SDGs
- High-Seas
- ocean
High Seas Treaty
It is an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
« The ship has reached the shore »
On March 4th 2023, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the 193 member states finally agreed on a treaty to protect the High Seas, concluding 20 years of discussions. This agreement is decisive as it puts the ocean where it belongs: at the center ofStates’ climate action. The ocean is the regulator of our climate, produces half of the oxygen we breathe and is our biggest carbon sink.
This agreement is know as the BBNJ Treaty.
What does BBNJ stand for?
What are the high seas?
The High Seas make up about 2/3 of the world’s ocean.
They constitute the ocean beyond exclusive economic zones (EEZ – the area extending to 200 nautical miles beyond a nation’s territorial sea) and are also referred to as international waters or transboundary waters.
What’s at stake?
The high seas are global and frontierless waters. With no current regulations protecting them from human activities, they are tripping them from their resources and disturbing the ocean’s critical role in regulating our climate.
While the High Seas represent 43% of the planet’s surface, less than 1% of this area is currently protected. Anthropic pressures such as activities include destructive fishing activities and deep sea mining amongst others
Why are these activities harmful?
Overfishing occurs when excessive catching rates do not allow fish populations to renew themselves.
Despite its detrimental effects, overfishing represents over a third of global fish stocks.
Not only are these practices unsustainable, they also damage other forms of marine wildlife, as well as the sea bed.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over 1,500 marine animals and plants assessed are at risk of extinction.
These activities represent the largest threat to marine biodiversity.
Indeed, according to the IPBES, direct exploitation and land use change are the principal factors of decline of marine ecosystems, well before climate change.
What is the main objective of this Treaty?
The objective of this agreement is to develop a legally binding international instrument to strengthen the governance of the high seas and to establish the tools necessary for effective protection of the ocean and sustainable use of its resources.
It includes four main pillar components concerning the access and sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources; the development of area-based management tools; capacity building and technology transfer and environmental impact assessments.
30 by 30
A few months after the adoption of an agreement at COP15 on biodiversity to protect 30% of the land and 30% of the sea by 2030, the adoption of this treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas is a key step to protect the ocean and its biodiversity and to allow a fair sharing of its resources.
- High Seas
- Ocean
- High-Seas
- High-Seas
- ocean
- ocean
High Seas Treaty
It is an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
« The ship has reached the shore »
On March 4th 2023, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the 193 member states finally agreed on a treaty to protect the High Seas, concluding 20 years of discussions. This agreement is decisive as it puts the ocean where it belongs: at the center ofStates’ climate action. The ocean is the regulator of our climate, produces half of the oxygen we breathe and is our biggest carbon sink.
This agreement is know as the BBNJ Treaty.
What does BBNJ stand for?
What are the High Seas?
The High Seas make up about 2/3 of the world’s ocean.
They constitute the ocean beyond exclusive economic zones (EEZ – the area extending to 200 nautical miles beyond a nation’s territorial sea) and are also referred to as international waters or transboundary waters.
What’s at stake?
The high seas are global and frontierless waters. With no current regulations protecting them from human activities, they are tripping them from their resources and disturbing the ocean’s critical role in regulating our climate.
While the High Seas represent 43% of the planet’s surface, less than 1% of this area is currently protected. Anthropic pressures such as activities include destructive fishing activities and deep sea mining amongst others
Why are these activities harmful?
Overfishing occurs when excessive catching rates do not allow fish populations to renew themselves.
Despite its detrimental effects, overfishing represents over a third of global fish stocks.
Not only are these practices unsustainable, they also damage other forms of marine wildlife, as well as the sea bed.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over 1,500 marine animals and plants assessed are at risk of extinction.
These activities represent the largest threat to marine biodiversity.
Indeed, according to the IPBES, direct exploitation and land use change are the principal factors of decline of marine ecosystems, well before climate change.
What is the main objective of this Treaty ?
The objective of this agreement is to develop a legally binding international instrument to strengthen the governance of the high seas and to establish the tools necessary for effective protection of the ocean and sustainable use of its resources.
It includes four main pillar components concerning the access and sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources; the development of area-based management tools; capacity building and technology transfer and environmental impact assessments.
30 by 30
A few months after the adoption of an agreement at COP15 on biodiversity to protect 30% of the land and 30% of the sea by 2030, the adoption of this treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas is a key step to protect the ocean and its biodiversity and to allow a fair sharing of its resources.