Current location:business >>
WWF calls for global treaty to protect high seas
business65579People have gathered around
IntroductionPhoto taken on May 28, 2020 shows fishes and sea anemone at a marine ranch in the sea area of Wuzhiz ...
Photo taken on May 28, 2020 shows fishes and sea anemone at a marine ranch in the sea area of Wuzhizhou Island in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
The first-ever treaty on high seas biodiversity is expected to provide a globally recognized mechanism to designate marine protected areas, and help protect at least 30 percent of the world's oceans.
by Martina Fuchs
GENEVA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on Tuesday urged governments to protect the world's oceans by finalizing a long-awaited High Seas Treaty at the United Nations (UN) in New York this March.
The first-ever treaty on high seas biodiversity would provide a globally recognized mechanism to designate marine protected areas, and is crucial in order to achieve the goal of protecting at least 30 percent of the world's oceans, Jessica Battle, WWF's senior global ocean governance and policy expert told Xinhua in a video interview.
One of the main impacts of human activities on the ocean is fishing, Battle highlighted.
At the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) which took place in Vancouver, Canada, from Feb. 3-9, the WWF called on policymakers to accelerate global ocean protection from 8 percent to 30 percent within eight years.
Photo taken on July 5, 2022 shows critically-endangered sand tiger sharks in the Scientific Center aquarium, in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait.(Photo by Asad/Xinhua)
Previously, at COP15 in Montreal in December, the goal of protecting and conserving at least 30 percent of the world's marine and coastal areas was adopted by 196 countries under the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
"China played a very strong role at COP15, making sure that we did get an agreement by the 196 parties to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030," said Battle, who will attend the negotiations in New York.
In a resolution in December 2017, the UN General Assembly decided to convene an intergovernmental conference to draw up the text of an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and use of marine biodiversity.
REACHING A DEAL
However, the UN's negotiations for a High Seas Treaty stalled last August as delegates said more time was needed to reach an agreement on a final text.
Governments must ensure that the ocean receives the level of attention and protection it needs in order to provide for the future, Battle said.
Photo taken on June 8, 2022 shows corals in the waters of Fenjiezhou Island of Hainan Province, south China. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)
Waters which lie beyond national jurisdictions, known as the high seas, comprise nearly two-thirds of the ocean's area. However, only about 1 percent of this huge swath of the planet is protected, WWF said.
Battle said the treaty would be ratified when 30 countries sign up to it, and it is then implemented into national legislation.
It is critical that the treaty should enter into force quickly, Battle said.
SAFEGUARDING THE SEABED
WWF also said that the ocean faces new potential threats such as deep seabed mining, a nascent industry with the potential to cause irreparable harm to fragile deep-sea ecosystems.
"We are seeing a growing number of countries calling for a global moratorium ... This will be agreed at the International Seabed Authority which meets three times a year in Jamaica," Battle said.
A woman collects waste from the beach in Alexandria, Egypt, Aug. 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
"We need to safeguard this very important environment in order to reach biodiversity goals, and also to safeguard the ocean as a carbon sink."
Many ocean areas play a key role for important species of shark, tuna, whale and sea turtle, and they also support billions of dollars of economic activity annually, WWF has said.
In its "Reviving the Ocean Economy" report, the organization outlined that the goods and services that flow from the ocean and coasts are worth at least 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars each year, and the overall value of the ocean as an asset is 10 times more. ■
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“International Intrigue news portal”。http://www.ipdilemma.com/news-18c599961.html
Related articles
Sue Bird says joining ownership group of the Seattle Storm felt inevitable
businessSEATTLE (AP) — Becoming a part-owner of the only WNBA franchise she ever played for felt like an ine ...
【business】
Read moreChinese president appoints new ambassadors
businessChinese President Xi Jinping has removed and appointed the following ambassadors in accordance with ...
【business】
Read moreChina's modified Long March
businessA modified version of China's Long March-8 carrier rocket has completed a 5.2-meter-diameter fai ...
【business】
Read more
Popular articles
- House and Senate negotiate on bill to assist FAA
- Pochettino says Chelsea players behaved like ‘kids’ when squabbling over who took a penalty
- Xi's article on cultural heritage, fine traditional Chinese culture to be published
- Tennessee judge set to decide whether a Nashville school shooter's journals are public records
- Analysis: IndyCar cheating scandal risks sullying Roger Penske's perfect image
- Malta's new president takes office
Latest articles
Morel hits tiebreaking HR off Díaz in 9th and Cubs top Mets 3
Belgian police shut down a far right conference as it rallies ahead of Europe's June elections
US Pentagon chief speaks with Chinese counterpart for first time since November 2022
Asian CL semifinal postponed in United Arab Emirates after flooding caused by heavy rain
LIV Golf star Kevin Na unleashes foul
German chancellor presses China on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
LINKS
- China to Regulate Use of Chinese Characters
- China to Highlight Green, Low
- China Releases List of Most
- How Will China Consolidate Poverty Alleviation Feats?
- Farmers Work in Sugar Cane Fields in Dahua Township, Guangxi
- To invest in China is to invest future: FM spokesperson
- China Improves Legislation to Protect Children in Cyberspace
- Survey Highlights Sources of Anxiety in Young Chinese
- To invest in China is to invest future: FM spokesperson
- People Pay Tribute to Deceased on Tomb