18 more countries ratify treaty to protect marine life in international waters

New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) Eighteen more countries have ratified the High Seas Treaty, a global agreement for the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in international waters, taking the total number of ratifications to 49.

Adopted in June 2023, the treaty will enter into force 120 days after at least 60 countries ratify it. The treaty is crucial to meet a globally agreed biodiversity target of protecting 30 per cent of the oceans and lands by 2030, known as "30x30".

At a special High Seas Treaty event organised at the third United Nations Ocean Conference on Monday, Albania, Bahamas, Belgium, Croatia, Cote d’Ivoire, Denmark, Fiji, Malta, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vietnam deposited their instruments of ratification.

They now join the 31 countries plus the European Union that have already deposited their ratification prior to the conference.

According to a statement from the High Seas Alliance, 18 more countries have signed the treaty, taking the total number of signatories to 134.

France, in partnership with Costa Rica, is hosting the third edition of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice from June 9 to 13. This is the first time since COP-21 in 2015 that France is hosting a UN conference on its soil.

The French government aims to make UNOC-3 a turning point for ocean conservation, comparable in ambition to the Paris Agreement for climate change.

India signed the treaty on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last year.

Officials told PTI last week that India is not in a hurry to ratify the treaty.

They said the government is still studying how the treaty fits with existing Indian laws such as the Wildlife Protection Act, Biological Diversity Act, Environment Protection Act and state-level marine fishing laws.

Before India can ratify the treaty, it needs to review its current laws, possibly make changes and get approval from Parliament. The treaty also requires countries to set up institutions for implementation and reporting, which India will have to plan for, the officials said.

The 'High Seas', also called 'International Waters', refers to areas beyond any country's national waters, exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and jurisdiction.

No single country controls these waters and all nations have the right to use them for navigation, fishing, research and other activities without interference.

Although the high seas cover more than 60 per cent of the ocean, only 1.2 per cent is currently protected. PTI GVS NB