Changing Tides: The High Seas Treaty Explained
An explainer article on the recently agreed (and soon to be adopted) High Seas Treaty, the first international agreement to protect the world's oceans aims to create “international parks” in the high seas.
The treaty, whose text was finalised on 4 March 2023, lays the groundwork for marine protections over previously unregulated waters. Known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty (BBNJ), its primary aim is to protect biodiversity by establishing large-scale marine protected areas and regulating marine research for scientific and commercial development.