In a historic agreement on protection, 193 countries agreed to the High Seas Treaty for the first time. The treaty aims to make 30% of the high seas protected areas by 2030. This treaty is necessary for the success of our landmark global biodiversity. It is a framework and a breakthrough in negotiations that have been going on since 2004.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the ship has arrived on shore,” said Lena of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ) to a standing ovation at United Nations Headquarters in New York.・Chairman Lee announced. Saturday March 4th.
The agreement comes after 38 hours of extensive consultations following years of stalemate over disputes over fishing rights and financing. The treaty also appeared to unravel at times during the last two weeks of negotiations, a major issue regarding the equitable sharing of marine genetic resources (MGR).
MGRs from deep sea sponges, seaweeds, bacteria, etc. are proving to be an increasingly profitable and profitable field for development in pharmaceuticals, industrial processes and food production. Unsurprisingly, poorer countries had greater concerns about access to these resources and their benefits, as much of the MGR’s exploration and commercial benefits come from the wealthiest countries. .
In newly proposed protected areas, countries have agreed to limit deep-sea activities such as fishing, navigation and mining, which will require new environmental assessment procedures. How these protected areas will be managed and funded has yet to be determined.
“There is currently very limited data provided by mining companies to the International Seabed Authority on the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining,” said Elaine M. Baker says. “We hope the treaty will increase transparency and bring about change to protect deep-sea marine biodiversity.”
But this is a historic moment when international waters, which cover about two-thirds of the oceans beyond national borders, are recognized. The last agreement was signed more than 40 years before him, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The agreement defined the high seas, but so far only 1.2% of these waters were in protected areas.
“The high seas have been exposed to unregulated resource extraction, primarily fishing, for decades,” said Olaf Mayneck, manager of the Whale and Climate Research Program at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. , has had increasing impacts on migratory species such as whales: “The world’s oceans are under pressure from global changes such as pollution, fisheries and climate change, so it is imperative that at least 30% of the world’s oceans be protected. can help mitigate some of these impacts and ensure marine biodiversity for future generations.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nearly 10% of marine species are threatened with extinction, and another 41% of endangered species are affected by climate change. Maintaining and protecting biodiversity is critical to the survival of the planet.
The treaty promises to keep the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework on track as it makes an ambitious commitment to protect 30% of its biodiversity-rich land and water by 2030 doing.
Jessica Battle, senior global ocean governance and policy expert who led the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) team in the UN negotiations, said: “We are now able to examine the cumulative impacts on our oceans in a way that mirrors our interconnected blue economy and the ecosystems that support it.”
The draft treaty will be reviewed for technical content and translated into six official UN languages before another meeting to formally adopt it.
“Ocean defenders around the world can savor this moment that has been created over the years,” Battle said. “But this is not the goal. For the good intentions of the Convention to deliver results on the water, we must continue to apply pressure. must come into force for it to work, and all nations must swiftly formally sign it and ratify it as their own law.Words matter, but our oceans need action. “
Source: United Nations
