Ocean treaty: Historic agreement reached after decade of talks

Nations person reached a historical statement to support the world's oceans pursuing 10 years of negotiations.

The High Seas Treaty places 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030, aiming to safeguard and recuperate marine nature.

The statement was reached connected Saturday evening, aft 38 hours of talks, astatine UN office successful New York.

The negotiations had been held up for years implicit disagreements connected backing and sportfishing rights.

The past planetary statement connected water extortion was signed 40 years agone successful 1982 - the UN Convention connected the Law of the Sea.

That statement established an country called the precocious seas - planetary waters wherever each countries person a close to fish, vessel and bash probe - but lone 1.2% of these waters are protected.

Marine beingness surviving extracurricular of these protected areas has been astatine hazard from clime change, overfishing and shipping traffic.

These caller protected areas, established successful the treaty, volition enactment limits connected however overmuch sportfishing tin instrumentality place, the routes of shipping lanes and exploration activities similar heavy oversea mining - erstwhile minerals are taken from a oversea furniture 200m oregon much beneath the surface.

Environmental groups have been concerned that mining processes could disturb carnal breeding grounds, make sound contamination and beryllium toxic for marine life.

The International Seabed Authority that oversees licensing told the BBC that moving guardant "any aboriginal enactment successful the heavy seabed volition beryllium taxable to strict biology regulations and oversight to guarantee that they are carried retired sustainably and responsibly".

Rena Lee, UN Ambassador for Oceans, brought down the gavel aft 2 weeks of negotiations that astatine times threatened to unravel.

Minna Epps, manager of the IUCN Ocean team, said the main contented was implicit the sharing of marine familial resources.

Marine familial resources are biologic worldly from plants and animals successful the water that tin person benefits for society, specified arsenic pharmaceuticals, concern processes and food.

Richer nations presently person the resources and backing to research the heavy water but poorer nations wanted to guarantee immoderate benefits they find are shared equally.

Dr Robert Blasiak, water researcher astatine Stockholm University, said the situation was that no-one knows however overmuch water resources are worthy and truthful however they could beryllium split.

He said: "If you ideate a big, high-definition, widescreen TV, and if lone similar 3 oregon 4 of the pixels connected that elephantine surface are working, that's our cognition of the heavy ocean. So we've recorded astir 230,000 taxon successful the ocean, but it's estimated that determination are implicit 2 million."

Countries volition request to conscionable again to formerly follow the statement and past person plentifulness of enactment to bash earlier the pact tin beryllium implemented.

Liz Karan, manager of Pews Trust water governance team, told the BBC: "It volition instrumentality immoderate clip to instrumentality effect. Countries person to ratify it [legally follow it] for it to participate force. Then determination are a batch of organization bodies similar the Science and Technical Committee that person to get acceptable up."