Milestone Reached: Key Oceans Treaty Set to Become Law

Tue Oct 21 2025 04:06:48 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The High Seas Treaty, aimed at protecting ocean biodiversity, received its 60th ratification, paving the way for its enforcement starting January.

In a significant advancement for global marine conservation, the High Seas Treaty has secured its 60th ratification from Morocco, allowing it to come into force in January. The treaty seeks to establish marine protected areas in international waters, covering over two-thirds of the oceans. United Nations officials and environmentalists celebrate this as a monumental achievement, marking a hopeful step towards reversing decades of marine biodiversity loss exacerbated by pollution and overfishing.

A global agreement designed to protect the world's oceans and reverse damage to marine life is set to become international law. The High Seas Treaty received its 60th ratification by Morocco on Friday, meaning that it will now take effect from January.

The deal, which has been two decades in the making, will pave the way for international waters to be placed into marine protected areas.

Environmentalists heralded the milestone as a monumental achievement and evidence that countries can work together for environmental protection.

Covering more than two-thirds of the ocean, the agreement sets binding rules to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated.

Decades of overfishing, pollution from shipping, and warming oceans due to climate change have damaged life below the surface. In the latest assessment of marine species, nearly 10% were identified as being at risk of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Three years ago, countries agreed that 30% of the world's national and international waters – the high seas – must be protected by 2030 to help depleted marine life recover. However, protecting these waters is challenging due to the lack of control by any single nation, permitting all states rights to ship and fish there.

Currently, only 1% of the high seas are under protection, leaving marine life vulnerable to overexploitation.

Thus, in 2023, countries signed the High Seas Treaty, pledging to include 30% of these waters into Marine Protected Areas. The treaty required ratification by more than 60 nations to enter into force, a process that can often extend beyond five years due to parliamentary approvals. Elizabeth Wilson, of the Pews Charitable Trust, noted this was achieved in record time.

The UK introduced its bill for ratification to Parliament earlier this month.

Kirsten Schuijt, director-general of the World Wide Fund for Nature, praised the treaty as a significant milestone for ocean conservation, while Mads Christensen of Greenpeace International referred to the ratification as a landmark moment for international cooperation in protecting marine ecosystems.

Once implemented, countries will propose areas for protection, which will be decided by voting among signatory nations. Critics, however, have highlighted that environmental impact assessments will be conducted by each nation, with concerns raised to monitoring bodies.

Given the ocean's role as the largest ecosystem on the planet, contributing approximately $2.5 trillion to global economies, and providing up to 80% of the oxygen we breathe, the significance of this treaty cannot be understated.