An important United Nations treaty to protect marine biodiversity in international waters came into force on Saturday (17 January). The treaty creates a legally binding framework to tackle various threats, including overfishing.

It also sets a goal of protecting at least 30 per cent of the world's oceans by 2030.

The treaty, formally named Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), was finalised in March 2023 after about 15 years of negotiations. It will make it possible to set up marine protected areas in the vast, unregulated ocean regions in international waters.

Under the treaty, countries must carry out environmental impact assessments for activities that could have a significant effect on the marine environment and ecosystems. It also includes arrangements for fairly sharing the financial gains from using marine genetic resources under the "blue economy".

According to environmentalists, meeting the target will require about 1 lakh 90 thousand (190,000) marine protected areas so that 30 per cent of the ocean comes under formal protection by 2030.

The United Kingdom and Australia are expected to follow the same process soon. The United States signed the treaty under the previous administration but has not yet formally ratified it.

Experts say the treaty signals a generational shift in the management of the "global commons". It will play an important role in regulating activities such as deep-sea mining, now considered one of the biggest threats to the marine environment. The report is based on Reuters.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.