UN Begins Negotiating First Conservation Treaty for the High Seas
International waters face threats from overfishing, mining, pollution and climate change and the new treaty may help preserve marine biodiversity
By Jason Daley
smithsonian.com
The “high seas†might sound like slang lifted from a children’s pirate movie, but the term actually has a specific definition. It means the international waters beyond the areas of ocean controlled by individual nations, called the Exclusive Economic Zone, extending 200 nautical miles from shore. While there are some treaties and laws governing the high seas, in many ways they are an ungoverned and lawless region, especially when it comes to conservation and endangered species management. According to Stephen Leahy at National Geographic, that’s one reason the United Nations voted on Sunday to kick off a two-year process of negotiating the first international treaty to protect biodiversity in international waters.
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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/un-begins-negotiating-first-conservation-treaty-high-seas-180967644/#HJZMSKukfJ8Pxviq.99 r
