Andrew Lewin is joined by Nichola Clark, Senior Officer of Pew's Ocean Governance Team, to discuss the progress made since the High Seas Treaty was agreed upon a year ago. They explore what still needs to be done to bring about ocean conservation beyond national boundaries. 

Tune in to learn about the journey towards ratification and enforcement of this crucial treaty for high seas conservation.

The High Seas Treaty, also known as the Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty, is a significant international agreement aimed at promoting ocean conservation in areas beyond national jurisdiction. These areas cover two-thirds of the ocean and nearly half of the planet's surface, making them crucial for global marine biodiversity protection.

The treaty addresses the need to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity in these vast oceanic regions, which have been historically challenging to manage due to the lack of clear regulations and governance mechanisms. By focusing on the high seas, the treaty seeks to establish marine protected areas and implement environmental impact assessments to mitigate potential harm to the marine environment.

Representing a pivotal moment in international ocean governance, the High Seas Treaty provides a framework for countries to collaborate and make decisions regarding the conservation of these critical marine areas. Its provisions include establishing area-based management tools, such as marine protected areas, to contribute to the global goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

The treaty also addresses issues related to marine genetic resources and access and benefit sharing, highlighting the importance of equitable governance and fair distribution of benefits derived from marine discoveries. Additionally, it emphasizes capacity building and technology transfer to ensure all countries can actively participate in its implementation.

Moving forward, the focus will be on ratifying the treaty and working towards its entry into force. Countries are expected to engage in awareness-raising activities, consult with stakeholders, and establish the necessary institutional frameworks to support the treaty's implementation. Efforts will also be made to identify priority areas for conservation, such as the Selly Gomez and Nazca Ridges in the South Pacific, to begin the process of safeguarding these ecologically significant high seas regions.

The process of ratifying the High Seas Treaty involves several key steps to ensure the treaty's successful implementation. One crucial aspect is awareness-raising, which aims to inform relevant stakeholders about the treaty's content, goals, and implications. This step is essential to garner support and understanding from governments, organizations, and individuals involved in ocean governance.

Consultation with stakeholders is another vital component of the ratification process. The treaty emphasizes the importance of engaging with various groups, including governments, coastal states, civil society, indigenous communities, and scientific experts. By seeking input and feedback from these diverse stakeholders, the decision-making process becomes more inclusive and reflective of different perspectives and interests.

Institution building plays a significant role in establishing the necessary bodies for decision-making and compliance with the High Seas Treaty. The treaty outlines the creation of specific committees and bodies, such as the Conference of Parties, scientific advisory bodies, and implementation compliance committees. These institutions are crucial for overseeing the implementation of the treaty, monitoring compliance, and addressing any issues that may arise during the conservation efforts in the high seas.

The preparatory committee meetings serve as a platform for discussing key decisions and preparations for the treaty's entry into force. These meetings bring together representatives from member states, organizations, and experts to address critical issues, plan strategies, and ensure a smooth transition towards implementing the treaty's provisions. By engaging in these preparatory discussions, stakeholders can align their priorities, address potential challenges, and lay the groundwork for effective conservation efforts in the high seas.

The identification of priority sites for marine protected areas is a proactive step towards conservation efforts in the high seas. Organizations like the High Seas Coalition are already working on securing protections for key areas, such as the Selly Gomez and Nazca Ridges in the South Pacific. While the formal establishment of marine protected areas may take time, preliminary actions like fisheries closures can be implemented to start safeguarding these ecologically significant regions. This proactive approach demonstrates a commitment to conservation even before the treaty's full implementation, setting the stage for future protection measures in the high seas.

Future Steps for the High Seas Treaty

In the upcoming years, several key initiatives are set to take place to further advance the goals of the High Seas Treaty:

1. Achieving the 60th Ratification by 2025:

2. The High Seas Alliance, a coalition of NGOs working towards ocean conservation, has set a goal to reach the 60th ratification of the treaty by the UN Ocean Conference of 2025. This milestone signifies the entry into force of the treaty, marking a significant step towards global ocean protection.

3. Organizing Preparatory Committee Meetings:

4. A preparatory committee meeting is scheduled to convene at the UN to discuss crucial decisions and preparations for the entry into force of the treaty. This meeting will focus on laying the groundwork for the implementation of the treaty, addressing key issues, and ensuring a smooth transition once the treaty is in effect.

5. Identifying Priority Sites for Marine Protected Areas:

6. Efforts are underway to identify priority sites for marine protected areas in the high seas. Organizations like the High Seas Coalition, which includes Pew, are actively working to secure protection for important areas such as the Selly Gomez and Nazca Ridges in the South Pacific. While the formal establishment of marine protected areas may require the treaty to be in force, preliminary work, such as advocating for fisheries closures, can begin to lay the foundation for future conservation efforts.

These future steps demonstrate a proactive approach to ocean conservation, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement in safeguarding marine biodiversity in the high seas.

In this episode of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast, host Andrew Lewin discusses the progress and next steps for the High Seas Treaty. He highlights the significance of the treaty being signed by over 80 countries and emphasizes the need for more countries to join. The episode explores what comes next in the process of getting the high seas protected and emphasizes the importance of collective action for a better ocean.

In this episode, the host encourages listeners to actively participate by leaving a voice message and sharing the episode to raise awareness and foster optimism for the ocean. The host expresses a genuine desire to hear the voices of the listeners and urges them to spread the episode among their colleagues, family, and friends. Emphasizing the importance of optimism and hope for the ocean, the host highlights the significance of spreading awareness as a means to inspire others and contribute to the protection of the high seas.

The episode underscores the crucial role of understanding the genetics of the ocean, species, habitats, and ecosystems in effectively safeguarding them. The host emphasizes the indispensability of genetic resources and the need to gather information about the genetics of the ocean. This information is vital for conducting impact assessments and monitoring the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The host stresses the importance of identifying what requires protection and the continuous monitoring necessary to assess the efficacy of MPAs and impact assessments. Additionally, the episode underscores the significance of genetic biodiversity and genetic materials in preserving overall biodiversity and the planet. The host highlights the necessity of a fit-for-purpose ocean observing system to support the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, which aims to protect biodiversity beyond countries' exclusive economic zones. The host expresses optimism and hope that by safeguarding the ocean and its genetic resources, a positive impact can be made, ensuring the sustainability of marine ecosystems.

Furthermore, the host discusses the signing of the high seas treaty, a significant achievement in early 2023. While over 80 countries have signed the treaty, the host emphasizes the need for more countries to join. The treaty's purpose is to protect the high seas, referring to the ocean beyond each country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The host underscores the importance of safeguarding the high seas due to the current lack of sufficient management, oversight, and enforcement in this area.

A key component of the high seas treaty is the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs). These designated boundaries within the ocean aim to prevent extractive activities such as oil and gas extraction, deep-sea mining, and fishing, providing protection to marine ecosystems and biodiversity. The host emphasizes the necessity of increasing the number of MPAs in the high seas to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.

The episode also highlights the need for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) in the high seas. EIAs are conducted to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects or activities. The host points out the lack of impact assessments on larger projects in the high seas, which have been carried out without proper barriers or management. The high seas treaty seeks to address this issue by promoting the implementation of impact assessments to ensure the sustainable development of the high seas.

Additionally, the host underscores the importance of genetic resources in the high seas. Genetic resources refer to the genetic material of marine organisms that can be utilized for scientific research and the development of new drugs. The host emphasizes the need for more genetic resources in the high seas and suggests that the high seas treaty can facilitate access to and sharing of these resources for the advancement of science and conservation efforts.

Overall, the episode highlights the signing of the high seas treaty as a significant step towards protecting the high seas. However, the host emphasizes the need for further action in terms of establishing more protected areas, conducting impact assessments, enforcing regulations, and accessing genetic resources. These actions are crucial for ensuring the long-term sustainability and conservation of the high seas.

It starts with trying to solve a problem. Dr. Rebecca Helm, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina Ashville, wanted to make sure ocean species such as jellyfish and other non-commercial species are protected in the High Seas. She complained about it on Twitter and people responded with the same sentiment. She turned to her Twitter friend, Nichola Clark from the Pew Charitable Trusts, and a marine policy scientist that specialized in the High Sea. 

Nichola knew the ropes and how to put the movement Rebecca was building into good use, especially since there was a Biodiversity Treaty being negotiated at the United Nations. The movement continued and two years and one global pandemic later, a scientific letter was written and sent to the UN to outline three things the scientists wanted out of the treaty.

Listen to the episode to find out what those three things are. 

Are you a scientist? Sign the letter: http://www.protectthehighseas.com/

Contact me to download the document Nichola mentioned called "A Path to Creating the First Generation of High Seas Protected Areas" 

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I saw a post about an article on overfishing sharks in the high seas, where the authors provided evidence on the reasons why we need Marine Protected Areas in the High Seas. 

Listen to the episode to find out what the High Seas are and why Marine Protected Areas will be so hard to manage/enforce in the future.

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The High Seas take up most of the Oceans, but they are not governed by any one entity. The lack of governance opens the High Seas to plundering of fish and allowing more pollution that is unregulated. 

There is a meeting taking place this week at the UN in New York City this week with the goal for countries to sign a treaty to protect the high seas and manage its resources better. Not all countries are interested though. It could be a tough sell.

Check out the episode and let me know in the Facebook Group whether you think all of the countries will sign on to the treaty.

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There is a big United Nations meeting that is going to happen in New York City soon that some researchers say will dictate the long term survival of the Ocean. The meeting has been in the works for years with countries expected to sign on to a pact that will manage the high seas over a number of issues from water quality to fisheries. 

Scientists have published on the way the high seas (ocean areas that are not governed by any country) have been treated in the past and have been outspoken on the need to better protect them. 

Some researchers say the oceans will be in trouble if countries do not sign on to protect the high seas at this meeting. 

Do you think that is true? Do you think Accords such as the Paris Climate Change Accord will help reduce climate change impact?

Let me know in the Facebook Group.

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