Current location:Stellar Saga news portal > style
WWF calls for global treaty to protect high seas
Stellar Saga news portal2024-05-21 06:50:12【style】4People 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. ■
Address of this article:http://nepal.cezaryphotography.com/content-07e899973.html
Very good!(64)
Related articles
- Here comes the char
- 'Rust' movie armorer sentenced to 18 months for fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin
- Facing a Republican revolt, House Speaker Johnson pushes ahead on US aid for Ukraine, allies
- Bank of America accused of religious and political 'discrimination' by 'de
- Strictly star Giovanni Pernice's former partner Rose Ayling
- Former Arkansas officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in violent arrest caught on video
- Business boom: Record numbers of people are starting up new small businesses
- Bank of America accused of religious and political 'discrimination' by 'de
- Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection after closing some restaurants
- Son who offered £5,000 on Facebook to anyone would kill his father before punching the 72
Popular articles
- Pope trip to Luxembourg, Belgium confirmed for September, 2 weeks after challenging Asia visit
- Internet customers in western North Carolina to benefit from provider's $20M settlement
- Justice Thomas returns to Supreme Court after 1
- Indian police kill 29 suspected Maoist rebels in a gunbattle in a central state
Recommended
Storms damage homes in Oklahoma and Kansas. But in Houston, most power is restored
REVEALED: Bartender, 33, 'who lured 19
Lottery, gambling bill heads to Alabama legislative conference committee for negotiations
Dr. Martens stock plunges after dour US revenue outlook
Georgia Republicans choose Amy Kremer, organizer of pro
Olympic gold is great, but athletes say some cash to go with it is even better
Rise of the middle
Keith McNally strikes again! Razor
Links
- City set to enjoy a bonanza of tourist attractions
- Xi Story: Gaining a Deeper Understanding of Chinese Civilization at Yin Ruins
- Countries welcome Chinese tourists
- Intl beer festival to open in Qingdao WCNA
- Xi Stresses Accelerated Efforts to Build Leading Country in Education
- Pear trees enter full bloom in Anhui, E China
- In pics: Snow Town scenic spot in Hailin City, Heilongjiang
- Xi Replies to Letter from Bangladeshi Child Alifa Chin
- Xi Story: The Growth Story of a 'Dot'
- Xi Meets Russian PM