Highlights from the "High Seas Treaty"

After nearly two decades of talks and negotiations, the UN finally reached an agreement on marine ocean biodiversity beyond national boundaries. The announcement came this past Saturday evening, accompanied by applause and viral reports about the groundbreaking international policy. The treaty will serve as a “global legal framework” for areas within the high seas and could be applied to.

But.. so what? Through a quick Google search, we can see the praise and excitement coming from global news sources, but no one is really talking about what the treaty really does (or how it is practically applied). Here are three highlights from the details we were able to dig up:

1. The treaty places 30% of the ocean into “protected areas”.

The agreement includes a goal of protecting 30% of international waters, pointing towards the “30x30 pledge” of the UN that aims to protect 30 percent of biodiversity by 2030. Note that although the treaty does classify 30% of the ocean as “protected”, this is a measure of the protected area, not actual organisms. Ocean biodiversity is highly variable between different areas, so this metric does not guarantee that the UN will achieve its goal.

2. The treaty will significantly increase funding for marine conservation and research.

The agreement will likely encourage the UN and member countries to “put their money where their mouth is” regarding collaborative global conservation. By establishing a robust legal framework to work within, the treaty marks the first step of many widespread environmental efforts.

3. The treaty will increase the exchange of biological samples and data between nations.

This piece of the puzzle was incredibly “sticky” for delegates to figure out in negotiations. Because biological discoveries (especially in genetics) can be incredibly valuable for scientists’ pride and pockets, many countries had competing interests when it came to the issue of sharing data. The schism was mostly between technologically advanced countries and those with less developed resources, with many African delegates requesting that expensive and rare marine genetic information be included in shared scientific materials.  

All in all, this treaty is a win for the earth. However the elements of the treaty to be determined are the practicality and enforceability of international environmental protections, and we are also left wondering how the treaty will specifically impact fishing and deep-sea mining operations.