For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas — nearly half the planet's surface.
Framework to protect marine life outside national boundaries had been talked about for decadesGreenpeace activists rally outside the United Nations, displaying large movable sculptures of ocean animals made from plastic found on New York City beaches, as countries met Feb. 23 to negotiate a Global Ocean Treaty. The treaty will create a new body to manage conservation of ocean life and establish marine protected areas in the high seas.
"We only really have two major global commons — the atmosphere and the oceans," said Georgetown University marine biologist Rebecca Helm. While the oceans may draw less attention, "protecting this half of Earth's surface is absolutely critical to the health of our planet.
The treaty also establishes ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in the oceans."It means all activities planned for the high seas need to be looked at, though not all will go through a full assessment," said Jessica Battle, an oceans governance expert at the Worldwide Fund for Nature.
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