More than 190 countries have reached a landmark deal to protect marine life across international waters, a move followed by several rounds of applause at the United Nations. The legally binding agreement, being referred to as the “High Seas Treaty,” will designate 30% of the world’s oceans as protected areas by 2030.
Currently, only 1.2% of international waters are protected, and only 0.8% are identified as “highly protected.” Scientists have contended that marine life outside these areas is threatened by climate change, shipping and overfishing. According to a recent assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nearly 10% of global marine species are at risk of extinction for various reasons ranging from unsustainable fishing to pollution and disease.
Under this new plan, fishing and shipping lanes will be limited, and activities such as deep-sea mining will face new restrictions. Furthermore, more funding will be provided for marine conservation efforts, and countries will be obliged to carry out environmental impact assessments of their proposed activities within protected waters.
The UN agreement, which had been in discussion for more than 20 years, still needs to be formally adopted. It remains to be seen how well countries cooperate in meeting the new goals and demands.