UN talks on treaty to protect nature on the high seas enter final round

Delegates from around the globe are meeting from today for a final round of United Nations-led talks to try to seal a binding treaty that aims to protect and conserve marine biodiversity on the high seas.

- David Fogarty

Only about 1 per cent of the high seas is regulated and sealing the treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction is regarded as urgent because of the growing impacts from climate change, overfishing and pollution.

Mrs Rena Lee, Singapore’s Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues, is presiding over the conference that runs till Aug 26 at the UN headquarters in New York.

The high seas cover half the planet and conservation groups say this vast area needs to be much better protected and regulated, especially with growing interest in potentially damaging activities, such as seabed mining.

Global conservation group WWF said in a statement: “The high seas play a vital role in supporting fisheries, providing habitat for hundreds of thousands of species and mitigating climate change impacts, but are currently severely under regulated, resulting in widespread exploitation.”