Newsletters
The High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, will enter into force on Jan. 17 after securing the required 60 ratifications, marking a major milestone in efforts to protect marine biodiversity in international waters.
Adopted by the United Nations in 2023, the agreement creates a legal framework for establishing protected areas on the high seas and requires environmental impact assessments for activities that could harm sensitive marine ecosystems.
The high seas cover about two-thirds of the world’s oceans and had previously lacked comprehensive legal protection, with conservation measures largely limited to national and coastal waters.
Globally, around 16,600 marine protected areas currently cover 9.6% of the world’s oceans, but only 3.2% are classified as highly or fully protected with strict limits on activities such as fishing, according to the Marine Conservation Institute’s Marine Protection Atlas.
Bayram Ozturk, head of the Turkish Marine Research Foundation, said the treaty marks the beginning of a new era for global ocean protection.
Ozturk said the establishment of protected areas on the high seas does not mean fishing will be banned across all international waters, but instead introduces a strong legal framework to regulate activities, including fishing bans in designated marine sanctuaries.
He said effective implementation of the BBNJ agreement could significantly protect open-ocean biodiversity and help close major gaps in global ocean governance.
Levent Bilgili of Bursa Technical University’s Faculty of Maritime Studies said the treaty will require vessels flagged by participating states, as well as operations conducted in international waters, to comply with higher standards of responsibility and ecosystem protection.
Bilgili said Türkiye’s status as a party to the BBNJ agreement strengthens its position ahead of COP31, which is scheduled to take place primarily in Antalya in November, with a leaders’ summit planned in Istanbul.
He said ocean-climate linkages are expected to feature prominently on the agenda during the conference.
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
