New Treaty Governing Ocean Biodiversity On The Horizon?

A new treaty governing biodiversity and the use of nearly 50 per cent of the world's oceans, is inching closer to realisation.

The biodiversity of the world's oceans are increasingly under threat from over-fishing, pollution, the decline of biodiversity, and acidification, among other perils. Currently, there is little formal international legal framework through which countries can share responsibility for addressing (or recognizing) these issues. With the exception of some activities, such as whaling and fishing, the health of the high seas—and its biodiversity in particular—is unprotected and unregulated.

To address the issue, the UN General Assembly ("UNGA") passed a resolution in 2015 to lay the initial groundwork for a possible new treaty aimed at protecting the biodiversity of the world's oceans. State representatives to the preparatory committee responsible for developing a framework for the treaty negotiations have now agreed to recommend the elements