Key Takeaways:
- The High Seas Treaty, a landmark agreement to protect marine biodiversity, becomes international law on Saturday, but Canada has not yet ratified it.
- The treaty aims to establish marine protected areas, require environmental impact assessments, and ensure equitable sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources.
- Canada’s ratification is crucial for the country to have an official role in ocean conservation measures and to meet its commitment to safeguard 30% of the ocean by 2030.
- The treaty’s implementation is expected to contribute to the delivery of global biodiversity targets and protect Canada’s migratory species.
- Canada is working towards ratification, but a timeline and budget have not been announced.
Introduction to the High Seas Treaty
The High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), is a landmark agreement that aims to protect marine biodiversity on the high seas. The treaty becomes international law on Saturday, but Canada has not yet ratified it, despite being a key player in its development. The high seas cover nearly half the planet, but have remained largely unregulated, with only 1.5% currently protected. The treaty fills a gap in ocean governance that has existed since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea more than four decades ago.
Canada’s Role in the Treaty
Canada signed the High Seas Treaty in March 2024 and joined a "first movers" coalition to advance high-seas marine protected areas (MPAs). However, the country has not yet ratified the treaty, which is necessary for it to have an official role in ocean conservation measures. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is leading the domestic treaty adoption process, and a spokesperson stated that Canada aims to ratify the treaty as soon as possible. However, a timeline and budget for ratification have not been announced. Canada’s ratification is crucial for the country to meet its commitment to safeguard 30% of the ocean by 2030, a deal it helped broker.
Importance of the Treaty
The treaty’s implementation is expected to contribute to the delivery of global biodiversity targets and protect Canada’s migratory species, such as marine mammals, sharks, and turtles. The American eel, for example, is a species that spends part of its life in the high seas and will benefit from the treaty’s protections. The Sargasso Sea, a five-million-square-kilometre expanse of ocean east of Bermuda, is a candidate for designation as one of the treaty’s first high-seas MPAs. Canada signed the Hamilton Declaration, pledging to protect the Sargasso Sea, but ratifying the treaty will grant Canada a formal role in shaping how that protection is designed.
International Cooperation
The High Seas Treaty is a demonstration of international cooperation, with over 80 nations having ratified it. The European Union, Pacific Island states, and countries including China, Denmark, France, and Norway have all ratified the treaty. Canada is not alone in finalizing its process, with Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia also working towards ratification. Susanna Fuller, vice-president of conservation at Oceans North, stated that "the high seas can only be managed collectively" and that Canada needs to show that multilateralism can still work.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The High Seas Treaty’s entry into force is a significant step towards protecting marine biodiversity on the high seas. Canada’s ratification is crucial for the country to have an official role in ocean conservation measures and to meet its commitment to safeguard 30% of the ocean by 2030. The final preparatory meeting ahead of the treaty’s first Conference of Parties takes place in late March in New York, where delegates will finalize recommendations on the Scientific and Technical Body, the panel that will review proposals for the first high-seas protected areas. Canada’s ratification process is ongoing, and the country is expected to release a new nature strategy in the coming weeks, which will include a budget to support Canada’s treaty implementation.
