High on promise

Details of High Seas Treaty will have to be worked out

The United Nations-facilitated High Seas Treaty, agreed upon by nearly 200 nations, has received wide acclaim as it fulfils the long-pending need for a legally binding mechanism to conserve and utilise in a sustainable manner valuable marine resources that are under threat from indiscriminate anthropogenic activity, pollution, and climate change. It essentially envisages setting apart about 30 per cent of the oceans outside the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the countries as protected areas by 2030 to allow them to recuperate. These marine zones would be akin to wildlife sanctuaries where any activity harmful to flora and fauna is prohibited.