A global agreement designed to protect the oceans of the world and reverse damage to marine life should become international law.
On Friday, the High Sea Treaty received its 60th ratification by Morocco, which means that it will now take effect from January.
The agreement, which was two decades in the making, will open the way to the establishment of international waters in protected marine areas.
Ecologists have announced the milestone as a “monumental realization” and evidence that countries can work together for environmental protection.
“Covering more than two -thirds of the ocean, the agreement establishes binding rules to keep and lastingly using marine biodiversity,” said United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Decades of overfishing, pollution of shipping and warming of the oceans of climate change damaged life below the surface.
In the latest assessment of marine species, almost 10% were at risk of extinction, according to the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN).
Three years ago, countries agreed that 30% of global national and international waters – the high seas – were to be protected by 2030 to help exhaust marine life.
But protection of the high seas is difficult. No country controls these waters and all nations have the right to send and fish them.
Currently, only 1% of high seas are protected, leaving marine life at risk of overexploitation.
Thus, in 2023, the countries signed the High Sea Treaty, committing to put 30% of these waters in protected sea areas.
But he could only enter into force if more than 60 nations have ratified him – which means that they have agreed to be legally linked by this.
With many nations requiring parliamentary approval, ratification can often take more than five years, said Elizabeth Wilson, principal director of the Charitable PEWS Environmental Policy at the BBC at the UN Ocean Conference earlier this year. She said it was “record time”.
The United Kingdom presented its bill on ratification in Parliament at the beginning of the month.
Kirsten Schuijt, director general of the World Wide Fund for Nature, praised “a monumental achievement for ocean conservation” after the treaty was reached.
She added: “The High Sea Treaty will be a positive collaboration catalyst between waters and international agreements and is a turning point for two-thirds of the world ocean which is beyond national jurisdiction.”
Mads Christensen, executive director of Greenpeace International, called him “a historic moment” and “proof that countries can meet to protect our blue planet”.
“The era of exploitation and destruction must end. Our oceans cannot wait and we cannot either,” he added.
Once the treaty is in force, the countries will offer areas to be protected, and they will then be voted by countries that register for the Treaty.
Critics point out that countries will carry out their own environmental impact assessments and make the final decision – although other countries can record concerns about the supervision of organizations.
The ocean is crucial for the survival of all organizations on the planet. This is the largest ecosystem, should contribute 2.5 TN $ (1.9 tn £) to global savings and provides up to 80% of the oxygen that we will breathe.
