For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas -- nearly half the planet's surface -- concluding two weeks of talks in New York.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept.
Now that long-awaited treaty text has been finalized, Nichola Clark, an oceans expert at the Pew Charitable Trusts who observed the talks in New York, said, "This is a once in a generation opportunity to protect the oceans -- a major win for biodiversity." The treaty also establishes ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in the oceans.
Many marine species -- including dolphins, whales, sea turtles and many fish -- make long annual migrations, crossing national borders and the high seas. Efforts to protect them -- and human communities that rely on fishing or tourism related to marine life -- have previously been hampered by a confusing patchwork of laws.
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