JOIN USThe United Nations High Seas Treaty, finalised and agreed upon by about 200 nations recently, is a landmark agreement to protect and preserve the oceans which are crucial for life on the planet. It is being described as the Paris Agreement for the Oceans. The health of oceans has never received enough attention and even when their value was recognised, little was done to protect them. The recent pact is the result of decades of negotiations. It is expected to provide a legally binding mechanism for sustainable use and conservation of marine resources, when it is ratified by the countries. The treaty provides for setting apart 30% of the oceans outside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of countries as ‘protected area’ by 2030. This was the goal set at the UN Biodiversity Conference in December 2022. These protected zones will be like the wildlife sanctuaries on land, where activities harmful to the flora and fauna are prohibited.
High or open seas constitute two-thirds of the world’s oceans, but only 1% of them is legally protected. At present, they are a free-for-all zone where there is unrestricted fishing, navigation, mining and other activities. The agreement will impose limits on these activities. There will be designated routes for navigation and restrictions on activities like explorations and mining, especially in the waters and the seabed deeper than 200 metres below the surface. This is to ensure that the breading areas of aquatic life, including fish, are not affected and the deep seas are not polluted even with light and noise. There are more numbers and varieties of life forms in the oceans than on land but they are facing serious threats. It is estimated that about 10% of all marine life may be facing extinction.
The treaty is expected to enable sharing of marine resources, including genetic resources, among countries. Only a few countries have the scientific, technological and financial wherewithal for exploration and use of the genetic, mineral and other resources in the high seas. Poor and less developed countries may benefit from this provision, but the actual mechanism for this is yet to be finalised. As in the case of climate finance, there were serious disputes over financing the implementation of various provisions of the treaty. The rich countries have finally agreed on the finances but there are doubts about whether they will be implemented. The agreement may be considered a first step in an area where no international agreement existed. Overfishing, excessive shipping traffic, pollution of various kinds and climate change have all combined to degrade the seas. Hopefully the agreement will help to revive them or to stop further degradation.