EDITORIAL— Protecting the high seas

Together with increased public awareness of climate change, there has been stronger global commitment to protect the oceans over the past decades.

But despite the greater awareness, scientists report that less than 17 percent of land and eight percent of the oceans worldwide is protected. In 2022 during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, the international community committed to “30 x 30” – to expand the protection to 30 percent by 2030.

On June 19, 2023, the UN Intergovernmental Conference adopted the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction. The BBNJ Agreement was opened for signatures from Sept. 20, 2023 until Sept. 20, 2025, and came into force on Jan. 17 this year.

Also called the High Seas Treaty, the BBNJ Agreement, currently with 145 signatories including the Philippines, is the third implementing agreement to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

It comes too late for much of the coral networks that the Philippines has lost over the past decades due to destructive fishing methods, coral harvesting and willful destruction for various purposes. But the country, blessed with rich marine biodiversity, can still commit to protect what’s left.

With the High Seas Treaty being a legally binding instrument, it can be invoked and other signatories can be enlisted for help against the destruction of marine resources even beyond national jurisdictions.

As nations begin implementing the treaty, there was reason to celebrate on June 8 as World Oceans Day was marked with the theme, “strong marine protected areas for our blue planet.”

Among other things, 30 x 30 encourages the creation of a global network of strictly regulated Marine Protected Areas, with sustained public engagement and effective conservation efforts. The MPAs are expected to restore ecosystems and promote climate resilience.

With 7,641 islands and the livelihoods of many Filipinos dependent on the sea, the Philippines has a strong stake in protecting the oceans, whether within or outside its national boundaries.

In the observance of World Oceans Day, the message is that protecting the oceans is a shared responsibility, for biodiversity, climate stability, food security and overall human well-being.