Landmark UN Biodiversity Treaty Takes Effect, Aiming to Safeguard 30% of Oceans

Reuters

A diver swims through a coral reef near the Island of Cozumel, Mexico, 27 June 2024.

A landmark global treaty aimed at safeguarding biodiversity on the high seas came into force on Saturday, providing countries with a legally binding framework to address threats such as overfishing and to meet a target of protecting 30 per cent of the world’s ocean environment by 2030.

The United Nations treaty, formally known as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), was finalised in March 2023 after 15 years of negotiations. It enables the establishment of a global network of marine protected areas across vast and previously unregulated ocean ecosystems in international waters.

"It's two-thirds of the ocean, (and) it's half the surface of the planet that for the first time will have a comprehensive legal regime," said Adam McCarthy, first assistant secretary at the Australian foreign ministry and a co-chair of the treaty's preparatory committee, speaking at a media briefing.

The treaty reached the required threshold of 60 national ratifications on 19 September last year, triggering its entry into force 120 days later. The number of ratifications has since risen to more than 80, with China, Brazil and Japan among the latest countries to ratify the agreement.

Other nations, including Britain and Australia, are expected to follow shortly. The United States signed the treaty under the previous administration but has yet to ratify it.

"Whilst we only needed 60 for it to enter into force, obviously it's really critical for its implementation and for it to be as effective as possible for us to achieve global or universal ratification of the treaty," Reuters  quoted Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, a coalition of environmental groups, as saying.

"We're really aiming for all UN member states to ratify the treaty," she said.

Under the treaty, countries will be required to carry out environmental impact assessments for activities that could affect ocean ecosystems. It also establishes mechanisms to enable nations to share the benefits of the so-called “blue economy”, including marine genetic resources used in industries such as biotechnology.

Environmental groups estimate that more than 190,000 protected areas would need to be created to achieve the “30 by 30” goal of placing 30 per cent of the world’s oceans under formal protection by 2030. At present, only about 8 per cent — roughly 29 million square kilometres (11.2 million square miles) — of marine areas are protected.

However, the treaty is expected to have limited impact on what some conservationists regard as one of the most serious threats to the marine environment: growing pressure to extract mineral resources from the ocean floor.

"BBNJ is very ambitious but there are certain defined limits," McCarthy said.

"The question of mining in the substrate or in the seabed simply belongs to the ISA (International Seabed Authority). It's not something where the BBNJ gets a role."

Source: Reuters



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