United Nations member states now have a clear path forward for protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. Delegates of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, or BBNJ, reached an agreement on a “High Seas Treaty” on 4 March after two weeks of negotiations. Member states have been trying to agree on the treaty for almost two decades.

“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 Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General.

What’s in the Agreement?

The treaty provides a legal framework for designating large-scale marine protected areas on the high seas, which are parts of the world’s oceans which lie outside the exclusive economic zone of a country. The high seas cover nearly two-thirds of our ocean and are vulnerable to exploitation because they are difficult to monitor. Researchers say this treaty will be vital for meeting pledges that nations made at COP15 in December.

“This treaty is key to the 30×30 pledge. It creates universally agreed upon standards that everyone can be aiming for. No longer do we have varied goals globally, which could lead to uneven implementation speeds,” Anna Zivian, co-chair of the Ocean Knowledge Action Network Steering Committee told Future Earth.

The treaty also places a particular focus on sharing of the benefits from marine genetic resources.

“It is key that the treaty requires fair and equitable access and benefit sharing for marine genetic resources, and stresses the principle that the ocean is the common heritage of humankind,” says Zivian.

Next Steps for the Member States

This is a big first step toward protecting our oceans, but there is still work to be done. Member states must still formally adopt and ratify the treaty. How the protected areas will be managed and enforced is still in question.

“We are hopeful that countries move forward to make this treaty effective and are heartened by the positive statements from country representatives, including from countries where the Ocean Knowledge Action Network has partners, because all of us will benefit from effective implementation of this treaty,” says Zivian.

“It’s largely a goal-based regime, meaning that implementation of protections will depend heavily not just on how quickly the treaty enters into force, but also whether member states are ultimately able to agree on appropriate areas to conserve and effective methods to monitor and enforce those boundaries,” DG Webster, member of the Ocean Knowledge Action Network and the Earth System Governance Taskforce on Ocean Governance tells Future Earth. “BBNJ negotiations started over a decade ago because environmental organizations convinced some states to take the lead. Now is not the time to sit back and relax but rather to redouble those efforts to counter the mounting damage that human actions are causing to our oceans.”