Australia has joined a UN high seas treaty after Federal Senate formally ratified membership today.
The High Seas Treaty is designed to help protect the two-thirds of the world’s oceans in international waters and became international law in January.
The treaty will enable the creation of marine areas and require thorough the environmental assessments of harmful activities.
Australia will join 89 countries that have ratified the treaty with another 55 countries pledged to join.
The decision was welcomed by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).
“This treaty gives us the tools to protect biodiversity … and Australia stepping up really matters,” says Dermot O’Gorman, WWF-Australia’s chief executive officer.
“WWF especially welcomes the widespread support across the parliament for this treaty to become law.
“The oceans cover half the planet and are home to countless whales, corals, turtles, rays and fish,” he says.
“We rely on this vast expanse for oxygen, climate regulation and food, but until now it has been heavily exploited with almost no protection.
“The high seas are under growing pressure from destructive fishing, shipping, plastic pollution, potential deep-sea mining and climate change,” O’Gorman says.
“What happens on the high seas has a direct impact on Australia’s oceans and the communities that depend on them.”
AUSTRALIA ‘MUST STEP UP’
But O’Gorman says countries will need to step up at the treaty’s first Conference of Parties (COP) event to be held in Turkiye/Turkey in November.
“Joining the treaty is an important milestone but it’s only the first step,” he says.
“Australia needs to work closely with other ocean-loving countries to identify key areas for protection, including the Lord Howe Rise region between Australia and New Zealand.”
O’Gorman says this country also needs to strengthen protection in its own waters with the recently announced review of marine parks.
“Marine species migrate thousands of kilometres and don’t recognise human borders, so creating networks of marine protected areas is incredibly important to their survival,” he said.
“Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance science-based marine protected areas from our shores into the ocean, to safeguard whales and other species’ migrations, and deliver major benefits to people and our blue planet.”
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