Ocean conservationists had big reason to cheer more than a year ago when, after decades of discussion, the United Nations finally adopted a major international agreement on the protection of the oceans and marine life. The treaty, generally referred to as the High Seas Treaty (the official name is long and clunky) articulates an overall goal of protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by the year 2030. A big part of the so-called 30×30 strategy will be the creation of a network of marine protected areas in the high seas — that vast region of the briny waves beyond any nation’s jurisdiction.
Now, individual countries and their governments are in the process of ratifying the treaty — fortunately, the U.S. and a majority of the world’s countries have committed to the treaty in principle, with several having already ratified it. And the next big step — or series of steps — will be figuring out what parts of the ocean (and its marine inhabitants) need to be protected and how enforcement of the treaty will work.
That’s where the latest big assist from philanthropy comes in: a $51 million joint commitment from 11 funders earlier this fall to enable the rapid adoption of the High Seas Treaty — including the creation of marine protected areas. These protections will include measures like limits on commercial fishing, shipping, and oil and gas exploration.
The 11 contributing philanthropies — most have been major climate and environmental funders — include Arcadia, Becht Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Blue Action Fund, Blue Nature Alliance, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Oceans 5, Paul M Angell Family Foundation, Schmidt Ocean Institute and Vere Initiatives. The same group has already been supporting the adoption and ratification of the High Seas Treaty.
Why 30 percent?
Already, some marine sanctuaries and other protected areas have been designated — especially within near-shore exclusive economic zones. But currently, only 1% to 2% of the high seas beyond those exclusive coastal areas are protected with truly effective enforcement, said Melissa Wright, who leads the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative at Bloomberg Philanthropies. But scientists estimate that we must protect at least 30% of the oceans to maintain basic ecosystem function in the ocean. That’s crucial not just in and of itself, but also because much of the world’s human population depends upon the oceans, including on seafood for nutrition.
The oceans are also a major buffer against climate change — they produce about half or more of the planet’s oxygen, sequester an enormous portion of the planet’s carbon, and regulate temperature. That same 30% is the minimum needed to maintain the carbon and climate cycle necessary for stable life support.
Bloomberg, for example, is working with organizations in several countries around the world — including West African states, countries in the western Indian Ocean, and in South and Central America — to conduct studies that will guide the eventual regulation within the protected ocean zones.
“You need to understand what’s in the water, who uses that area, and which jurisdictions these areas fall into,” Wright said. “Then you need to do the national-level consultations with the fishing community, the industries that are present, the users of that space.”
Ultimately, many commercial activities will still be allowed within marine protected areas, with restrictions to ensure that fish and other species can thrive. For example, commercial fishing or shipping may be restricted to prevent overfishing or to allow species to migrate successfully. Some restrictions will be seasonal to support the reproductive cycles of fish species. And some activities could be banned altogether, such as oil and gas exploration, seabed mining, and destructive fishing techniques like bottom trawling that kill marine species indiscriminately.
The regulations within any one marine protected area will depend on the individual needs and conditions of the people and animals there. A tenet of the High Seas Treaty is supporting countries of the Global South and Indigenous communities to participate and advance their own priorities. Many nations rely heavily on the ocean for food security and economic development, as well as part of their cultural heritage, and safeguarding the high seas ensures that these communities maintain equitable access to these benefits.
Related Inside Philanthropy Resources:
For Subscribers Only
International cooperation required
The $51 million funding announcement came during the U.N.’s COP16 meeting, held in October in Cali, Colombia. The U.N.’s COP (Conference of the Parties) meetings are the organization’s annual confab where representatives from participating countries establish consensus on global climate issues and international responses. For example, the Paris Agreement on climate action and the Kyoto Protocols to limit greenhouse gas emissions were hammered out at COP meetings. The 30×30 goals for the oceans support the U.N.’s broader Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted during the U.N.’s COP15 meeting in 2022, which seeks to ensure sustainable global practices.
“Protecting 30% of the ocean and land by 2030 is shorthand for showing a goal, but it’s very complex to do,” said Patricia Leon, associate director for nature conservation at Bezos Earth Fund. Part of the complexity lies with the high level of international cooperation that’s required: the Bezos Earth Fund has been working for several years with four countries in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean — Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica — to help them create a large marine protected area that will enable migratory species such as whales to safely complete their routes. The Earth Fund has also begun similar efforts in the South Pacific.
How late is the hour when it comes to protecting the health of the oceans and the marine species that live in it — including many of the fish stocks that millions depend on for food? It is very late indeed.
“It is not good news at all,” Leon said. “Most fish stocks are currently categorized as overfished and are declining really fast.” The overfished classification means the fishing industry is catching the fish faster than the animals can reproduce and replace — much less increase — their numbers. At this rate, species will disappear. And that includes not just the species targeted by the fishing industry, but also the many other species in the ocean ecosystem that depend directly or indirectly on the diminishing populations, such as sharks and rays.
Knocking out entire fish species breaks ocean ecosystems and diminishes the biodiversity that is key to ocean and planetary health. The fish can’t afford it — and neither can we.
