March 28, 2023

Preservation Matters: The High Seas Treaty

A Promising New Way to Preserve Our Oceans

The first weekend in March, something historic happened in New York City. Governments agreed to work towards conserving oceans worldwide as outlined in the High Seas Treaty. When formally adopted, it will enable the establishment of Marine Protected Area networks outside of national jurisdictions and set a global minimum standard for environmental impact assessments. The High Seas Treaty is the result of the United Nations working hard to navigate this complex agreement between nations over 15 years. In the treaty, countries agree to protect and conserve at least 30% of the ocean and promise to restore 30% of already degraded areas by 2030. Once the treaty is formally signed, things will not change all at once. The existing regulatory bodies that watch over ocean activities, such as fishing, shipping, and deep-sea mining, will continue to do so without adjusting their guidelines and procedures. However, over time the treaty will allow for changes leading to reform.

“The High Seas, the area of ocean that lies beyond countries’ national waters, is the largest habitat on Earth and home to millions of species. With currently just over 1% of the High Seas protected, the new treaty will provide a pathway to establish marine protected areas in these waters.” – The High Seas Alliance

“This is a landmark moment for the ocean – one that will usher in a new era of collective responsibility for our planet’s most significant global commons. Last year, nations committed to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. Today’s achievement is a significant step toward delivering on that promise.” - Pepe Clarke, Global Ocean Practice Leader for WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)

“States must also bring their weight to bear to increase ambition in those bodies that already hold responsibility for managing critical aspects of human activity, such as fishing, on the high seas. To leave them as is means to preserve a system that has proven ineffective for solving the complex problems facing the high seas today.” – The Nature Conservancy

(insert image: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/why-care-about-ocean.html)

Oceans provide climate regulation, food, jobs, livelihoods, and economic progress. NPG supports the High Seas Treaty, its commitment to reform the regulating bodies associated with human activity in the water, and its promise to manage efforts to conserve oceans worldwide.

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To read more about water resources and human impact:

Modern Megadrought: Population, Denial, and Crisis in the American Southwest by Kathleene Parker

For more water-focused Forum Papers, click here.