More than 190 countries have reached a landmark deal for protecting the biodiversity of the world\u2019s oceans, agreeing for the first time on a common framework for establishing new protected areas in international waters.<\/p>\n
The treaty, whose text was finalized Saturday night by diplomats at the U.N. headquarters after years of stalled talks, will help safeguard the high seas, which lie beyond national boundaries and make up two-thirds of Earth\u2019s ocean surface. Member states have been trying to agree on the long-awaited treaty for almost 20 years.<\/p>\n
Environmental advocacy groups heralded the finalized text \u2014 which still needs to be ratified by the United Nations \u2014 as a new chapter for Earth\u2019s high seas. Just 1.2 percent of them are currently environmentally protected, exposing the vast array of marine species that teem beneath the surface \u2014 from tiny plankton to giant whales \u2014 to threats such as pollution, overfishing, shipping and deep-sea mining.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n More than 190 countries have reached a landmark deal for protecting the biodiversity of the world\u2019s oceans, agreeing for the first time on a common framework for establishing new protected areas in international waters.https:\/\/t.co\/vbfbMP1329<\/a><\/p>\n — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 5, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n