Istanbul: The landmark High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, is set to enter into force on Saturday, January 17, following the required ratification by 60 countries. The treaty represents a significant advancement in efforts to protect marine biodiversity in international waters.

According to Anadolu Agency, the UN adopted the agreement in 2023, establishing a legal framework to create protected areas on the high seas and mandating environmental impact assessments for activities potentially harmful to fragile marine ecosystems. Previously, comprehensive legal protection was absent for these vast oceanic regions, which constitute about two-thirds of the world's oceans, with conservation efforts primarily limited to national and coastal waters.

Bayram Ozturk, head of the Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), emphasized the treaty's importance in ushering in a new era for global ocean protection. He noted that while high-seas protected areas will not prohibit fishing across all international waters, they will introduce a robust legal framework to regulate activities, including outright bans in designated sanctuaries. The effective implementation of the BBNJ agreement is expected to significantly enhance the protection of open-ocean biodiversity and address substantial gaps in ocean governance.

Levent Bilgili from Bursa Technical University's Faculty of Maritime Studies highlighted that the treaty will impose higher standards of responsibility and ecosystem protection on vessels flagged by participating states and operations in international waters. The UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled for November, will primarily take place in Antalya, on Trkiye's Mediterranean coast, with a leaders' summit planned in Istanbul. Trkiye's active participation in the BBNJ agreement strengthens its position as host of COP31, where the intersection of ocean and climate issues is anticipated to be a key focus.