Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction : Event
The Blue Leaders High-Level Event on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction took place in Belgium, encouraging nations to ratify the Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty aimed at protecting the high seas from pollution, climate change, and overfishing.
- The BBNJ treaty commonly referred to as the Treaty of the High Seas was agreed upon in March 2023 for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
- It represents a crucial step towards conserving and sustainably managing marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
- The treaty aims to address the challenges faced by the high seas, which constitute areas beyond 200 nautical miles from the exclusive economic zones of coastal countries.
- So far, 88 countries have signed the treaty, with Chile and Palau being the only two to have ratified it.
- However, at least 60 ratifications are necessary for it to come into force.
- The treaty seeks to increase the percentage of protected areas on the high seas, which currently stands at a mere 1.44%, despite covering more than two-thirds of the global ocean.
- It aims to ensure fair and equitable sharing of profits from marine genetic resources (MGR) and establish rules for conducting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), which deal with identifying and evaluating the potential impacts an activity could have on the ocean.
