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https://theconversation.com/we-now-have-a-treaty-governing-the-high-seas-can-it-protect-the-wild-west-of-the-oceans-201184>
"Delegates gave a jubilant cheer at United Nations Headquarters in New York on
Saturday night, as nations reached an agreement on ways to protect marine life
in the high seas and the international seabed area.
It has been a long time coming, debated for almost two decades. It took nine
years of discussions by an Informal Working Group, four sessions of a
Preparatory Committee, five meetings of an Intergovernmental Conference and a
36-hour marathon final push to reach agreement.
So why was it so hard to achieve? And what does it do?
In short, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement paves the way
for the establishment of more high seas marine protected areas. Only 1% of the
high seas are currently fully protected, so the new agreement is a vital step
towards achieving the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal biodiversity pact,
which pledges to protect 30% of terrestrial and marine habitats by 2030.
In turn, the designation of more high seas marine protected areas could assist
in curbing fishing activities in these waters. At present, distant water fleets
can scoop up almost everything that swims or scuttles thousands of kilometres
from their home country. As the high seas are also teeming with marine life,
the new agreement also ensures this genetic wealth is shared fairly and
equitably among the international community.
It’s not too much to say this agreement marks a significant turning point in
the protection of our deep oceans."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
