How 'High Seas Treaty' Gains Momentum With 18 New Countries Pledging Support

The treaty promises to transform how humanity interacts with and protects the marine world beyond borders, forging a legacy of conservation and cooperation for generations to come.

- TDG NETWORK

In a significant development for ocean conservation and international environmental law, the High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), has moved closer to becoming a legally binding global accord.

During the recent United Nations Ocean Conference held in Nice, France, 18 additional countries ratified the treaty, pushing the total number of ratifications to 49.

This brings the international community tantalizingly close to the 60 ratifications needed for the treaty to enter into force—a milestone that would mark a historic moment in the governance and protection of the planet's vast open oceans.

The treaty's progress has been hailed by scientists, environmental advocates, and policymakers alike as a critical step toward preserving marine biodiversity in the high seas—those international waters lying beyond any one country's jurisdiction, which constitute nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans and cover almost half the Earth's surface.

All About the Treaty

The High Seas Treaty is the first-ever comprehensive international agreement designed specifically to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

While coastal nations can establish marine protected areas (MPAs) and regulate fishing and resource extraction within their exclusive economic zones (up to 200 nautical miles from their shores), the high seas remain a global commons without a unified governance framework.

This gap has left the biodiversity in these waters vulnerable to overexploitation, pollution, and emerging threats such as deep-sea mining and geoengineering activities.

The BBNJ treaty sets out to establish a clear legal framework that enables countries to collaborate on conservation efforts, regulate harmful activities, and share scientific knowledge and technology.