Countdown to sea biodiversity pact

A historic agreement to safeguard marine diversity in international waters is set to take effect next year after Morocco became the 60th nation to ratify the High Seas Treaty on Friday.

- Agencies

Ratification by 60 nations triggers a 120 day countdown for the treaty to become legally binding, marking the first-ever global framework to protect biodiversity in the high seas.

International waters, which make up nearly two thirds of the ocean and almost half of Earth's surface, face growing threats from overfishing, climate change and deep-sea mining. The treaty is designed to regulate these areas, which currently fall outside the jurisdiction of any single country. As reported by AP.

“The high seas are the world’s largest crime scene; theyre unmanaged, unenforced, and a regulatory legal structure is absolutely necessary,’ said Johan Bergenas, senior vice president of oceans at the World Wildlife Fund. Still, the strength of the pact remains uncertain as some of the biggest players, the United States, China, Russia and Japan, have not ratified.