Action Center - Marine Conservation Institute
Less than 1% of the high seas are fully protected, and the current patchwork of management and lack of oversight leaves them vulnerable to abuse. The proposed high seas treaty provides an opportunity to conserve the high seas for generations to come and create a more equitable ocean for all humankind. We call on all nations to construct an ambitious treaty and conclude these negotiations as soon as possible, to finally put legal protection in place for the unprotected half of our planet.
The high seas—marine areas beyond national jurisdiction— [1] cover nearly half of Earth’s surface [2] . The high seas support our planet in countless ways, from regulating the climate, to feeding millions of people, and contributing billions of dollars to the global economy [3] . Even so, less than 1% of the high seas are fully protected [4] , and the current patchwork of management and lack of oversight leaves them vulnerable to abuse. In 2017, the United Nations resolved to develop an international treaty