By David Stanway
SINGAPORE, Jan 17 (Reuters) – A landmark global treaty to safeguard biodiversity in the high seas came into effect on Saturday, providing countries with a legally binding framework to tackle threats such as overfishing and meet a target to protect 30% of the ocean environment by 2030.
The UN treaty, also known as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), was finalized in March 2023 after 15 years of negotiations, and will allow the creation of a global network of “marine protected areas” in vast and previously unregulated ocean ecosystems located in international waters.
“It’s two-thirds of the ocean, (and) it’s half of the face of the planet that for the first time will have a comprehensive legal regime,” said Adam McCarthy, first assistant secretary in the Australian foreign ministry and co-chairman of the treaty’s preparatory committee, speaking at a media briefing.
The treaty reached the limit of 60 national ratifications on September 19 of last year, which means that it will formally come into operation within 120 days. The number of ratifications has since risen to more than 80, with China, Brazil and Japan adding their names to the list.
Others, including Britain and Australia, are expected to follow soon. The United States signed the treaty during the previous administration but has not yet ratified it.
“While we only needed 60 to enter into force, obviously it’s really critical to its implementation and to be as effective as possible for us to get global or universal ratification of the treaty,” said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, a coalition of environmental groups.
“We really aim for all UN member states to ratify the treaty.”
According to the treaty, countries must carry out environmental assessments of activities that have an impact on the ecology of the oceans. It will also create mechanisms that allow nations to share the spoils of the “blue economy”, including “marine genetic resources” used in industries such as biotechnology.
Environmentalists say that more than 190,000 protected areas will need to be established in order to reach the “30 by 30” target of bringing 30% of the oceans under formal protection by 2030. Currently, only about 8% – or 29 million square kilometers (11.2 million – square miles) are protected.
But the treaty will have little impact on what some conservationists identify as one of the biggest threats facing the marine environment – the clamor to extract mineral resources from the ocean floor.
“BBNJ is very ambitious but there are certain definite limits,” said McCarthy.
“The issue of mining in the substrate or at the bottom of the sea simply belongs to the ISA (the International Seabed Authority). It is not something where the BBNJ takes a role.”
(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)