![Dozens of countries will sign the UN Ocean Treaty, but implementation is still pending](https://i-invdn-com.investing.com/trkd-images/LYNXMPEJ8J032_L.jpg)
©Reuters. FILE PHOTO – A volunteer picks up a sea lion cub after it fell into the ocean and off a cliff and a refuge for a herd of sea lions, in Cobquecura, Chile, February 3, 2022. Photo taken February 3, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Luis Saavedra/File Photo
By Daina Beth Solomon
(Reuters) – A new U.N. treaty to protect the world’s oceans is expected to be signed by dozens of countries on Wednesday, a new step in efforts to tackle the damage done to the fragile marine environment by overfishing and other human activities to undo.
The Global Pact for the Conservation of High Seas Biodiversity was finally agreed in March and formally adopted by the United Nations in June. It is seen as a crucial tool to achieve the target agreed last year to protect 30% of the Earth’s land and sea by 2030, known as “30 by 30”.
At least 60 countries are expected to sign the agreement at the annual United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. However, it still needs to be ratified at the national level before it comes into force.
Mads Christensen, interim director of Greenpeace International, described the signing as a “strong signal” and will help maintain momentum to reach the “30 by 30” target.
“But this signing is a purely symbolic moment,” he said. “Now politicians must bring the treaty home and ensure it is ratified in record time.”
The agreement will create ocean reserves where fishing will be banned, and will also ensure that human activities on the high seas are subject to environmental impact assessments.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that $500 million in funding will be needed to get the treaty up and running, and a dedicated implementation and capacity building fund could require another $100 million a year.
Threats to the ocean environment have increased in recent years due to overfishing and rising temperatures, and new threats may also arise from mining the ocean floor and the use of geoengineering technologies to increase the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
Environmental groups say the treaty must be fully in force by 2025 to ensure the ’30 by 30′ protection goal is achieved.
“The ocean can’t wait, and with the treaty 20 years in the making, there is absolutely no time to lose,” said Jessica Battle, an ocean expert at the Worldwide Fund for Nature.