Humpback
whales
and
a
flock
of
birds
off
the
coast
of
Massachusetts
on
Feb.
1,
2015.
Eric
Kulin
/
Design
Pics
Editorial
/
Universal
Images
Group
via
Getty
Images
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On
the
first
day
of
the
United
Nations
Ocean
Conference
(UNOC)
in
Nice,
France,
on
Monday,
18
new
countries
ratified
the
High
Seas
Treaty
for
a
total
of
49
—
just
11
shy
of
the
60
needed
for
the
agreement
to
be
enforced.
The
swell
of
support
added
momentum
to
what
could
end
up
being
a
historic
sea
change
in
how
the
open
ocean
is
governed.
“The
entry
into
force
is
within
our
sight,
and
I
call
on
all
remaining
nations
to
join
swiftly,”
UN
Secretary-General
António
Guterres
told
reporters
on
Tuesday,
as
The
Associated
Press
reported.
“We
do
not
have
a
moment
to
lose.”
Director
of
the
High
Seas
Alliance
Rebecca
Hubbard
called
the
ratifications
a
“powerful
victory”
for
the
people
who
have
pushed
for
high
seas
protections
to
take
center
stage
on
the
world’s
environmental
agenda,
reported
Euronews.
[embedded content]
“Today’s
surge
of
ratifications
for
the
High
Seas
Treaty
is
a
tidal
wave
of
hope
and
a
huge
cause
for
celebration,”
Hubbard
said.
“With
just
11
more
ratifications
needed
for
entry
into
force,
it
could
be
just
a
matter
of
weeks
before
the
60
is
achieved.”
President
of
France
Emmanual
Macron
on
Monday
said
the
High
Seas
Treaty
had
garnered
enough
support
to
take
effect
at
the
start
of
2026,
“which
means
we
would
finally
have
an
international
framework
to
regulate
and
administer
the
high
seas.”
At
the
start
of
the
summit,
President
of
the
European
Commission
Ursula
von
der
Leyen
said
40
million
euros
had
been
pledged
to
the
Global
Ocean
Program
by
the
European
Union
to
“bring
the
High
Seas
Treaty
to
life.”
The
funds
will
be
put
toward
supporting
the
efforts
of
African,
Pacific
and
Caribbean
nations
to
ratify
and
implement
the
High
Seas
Treaty.
“We
all
know
the
Treaty
is
a
crucial
instrument
to
protect
our
Ocean
beyond
borders,”
von
der
Leyen
said.
“And
indeed,
we
made
it
–
the
Treaty
was
agreed
and
adopted.
And
today,
we
are
inches
away
from
the
60
signatures
for
ratification.”
Nearly
two-thirds
of
the
planet’s
seas
are
beyond
any
nation’s
jurisdiction.
In
these
“high
seas”
lie
over
90
percent
of
marine
habitat,
as
well
as
some
of
the
richest
biodiversity
on
Earth,
Conservation
International
said.
But
despite
plastic
pollution,
overfishing
and
climate
change,
just
one
percent
of
these
waters
are
currently
protected,
with
seabed
mining
looming
on
the
horizon.
The
High
Seas
Treaty
—
formally
the
Agreement
on
Biodiversity
Beyond
National
Jurisdiction
—
is
the
first
agreement
focused
on
the
protection
of
marine
biodiversity
in
international
seas
to
be
legally
binding,
The
Associated
Press
reported.
“Until
now,
it
has
been
the
wild
west
on
the
high
seas,”
said
Megan
Randles,
Greenpeace’s
global
political
lead
for
oceans.
“Now
we
have
a
chance
to
properly
put
protections
in
place.”
The
High
Seas
Treaty
is
crucial
for
meeting
the
global
“30×30”
goal
—
an
international
promise
to
safeguard
30
percent
of
the
world’s
land
and
sea
by
the
end
of
the
decade.
The
treaty
creates
the
legal
framework
for
the
establishment
of
marine
protected
areas
by
nations
in
the
high
seas.
This
includes
rules
surrounding
destructive
activities
such
as
deep-sea
mining
and
geoengineering.
Importantly,
decisions
under
the
High
Seas
Treaty
are
to
be
made
through
conferences
of
parties
(COPs),
not
by
individual
countries.
Once
60
ratifications
are
reached,
a
120-day
countdown
starts
before
the
treaty
can
officially
be
enforced.
Once
this
time
period
elapses,
protected
areas
can
be
designated
and
oversight
mechanisms
can
be
implemented.
“I
see
a
momentum
and
an
enthusiasm
that
was
difficult
to
find
in
the
past,”
Guterres
said,
calling
the
treaty’s
pace
of
progress
“a
record.”
The
first
Conference
of
the
Parties
(COP1)
for
the
High
Seas
Treaty
must
take
place
within
a
year
of
it
coming
into
force.
The
meeting
will
establish
the
treaty’s
groundwork
for
implementation,
including
its
financing,
governance
and
the
creation
of
main
bodies
for
the
evaluation
of
marine
protection
proposals.
“To
reach
60
ratifications
would
be
an
absolutely
enormous
achievement,
but
for
the
treaty
to
be
as
effective
as
possible,
we
need
countries
from
all
over
the
world
to
engage
in
its
implementation,”
Hubbard
said.
Among
the
nations
that
have
just
signed
on
to
the
treaty
include
the
Pacific
small
island
nations
of
Tuvalu
and
Vanuatu,
Guinea-Bissau,
Jamaica,
the
Solomon
Islands
and
the
Bahamas.
“We’re
on
the
brink
of
making
high
seas
history,”
Hubbard
said.
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