02 March 2023: The new agreement on the protection of the high seas states, among other things, that 30 percent of the world's oceans are to be designated as protected areas (CBD: by 2030), with a three-quarters majority of member states. These new protected areas restrict fishing, shipping routes and deep-sea mining, for example.
A procedure is to define how economic projects, expeditions and other activities in the oceans are to be assessed for their environmental impact (EIA) (however, important sectors seem to be excluded and Greenpeace criticizes that EIAs are to be left to the countries).
The high seas or high seas are those parts of the oceans that are not under the control of a particular state. These areas of the sea without the exercise of state sovereignty make up about 60 percent of the world's oceans. Only 1.2% of international waters are officially protected. Nearly 10% of the world's marine species are threatened with extinction, according to IPBES.
Author: GNF