The High Seas Alliance, in collaboration with the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat and EarthEcho International, is proud to host the Caribbean Regional BBNJ Conference. This virtual event aims to bring together diverse stakeholders, including civil society organizations, youth, academics, indigenous communities, and policymakers, to explore the pivotal role of the Biodiversity Beyond NationalJurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty in securing the future of the Caribbean’s marine resources. As a region deeply intertwined with the ocean economy and dependent on healthy marine ecosystems, the Caribbean stands to benefit significantly from the BBNJ Treaty.
The Coral Reefs of the High Seas Coalition is a multidisciplinary
alliance of partners that aims to generate the science, strategic
communication, and support that is necessary to conserve coral reefs in areas
beyond national jurisdiction. To date, the coalition has mostly focused its
efforts on high seas surrounding the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges, two seamount chains that
stretch across over 2,900 km in the Southeastern Pacific. Isolated by the
Humboldt Current and the Atacama Trench, this region is home to one of the most
unique collections of biodiversity on Earth. For many groups of organisms,
nearly half of the species are endemic to the region and found nowhere else on
our planet. Not only is this region a biodiversity hotspot, it is also
culturally significant as Polynesian and others have recognized its importance
for centuries.
Map showing the Salas y Gomez and Nazca ridges, which stretch across over 2,900 km in the Southeastern Pacific. Over 73% of these ridges are located on the high seas, where they are unprotected and under threat from overfishing, plastic pollution, and climate change, with seabed mining looming in the near future (credit: John Nelson, ESRI ).
Last year the coalition published several
scientific studies that highlight the natural and cultural significance of the
Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges, including:
A review of various global datasets on biodiversity and human use, which shows that the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are one of the most promising places to protect on the high seas globally.
Collectively, these scientific assessments
underscore the importance of protecting the high seas surrounding the Salas y
Gomez & Nazca ridges, which represent the largest and most threatened
portion of the ridges. This could be achieved by:
closing this region to
industrial fishing activities regulated by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries
Management Organization and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission;
closing the region to
seabed mining activities regulated by the International Seabed Authority; and
establishing a high seas marine protected area
once the United Nations Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National
Jurisdiction is finalized and comes into force.
Top left: Due to its exceptional water clarity, the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are home to some of the deepest photosynthetic reefs on Earth (credit: Matthias Gorny, Oceana). Top center: The biodiversity of this region is marked by the highest levels of endemic species on Earth, such as the endemic Rapa Nui butterfish (credit: Matthias Gorny, Oceana). Top right: The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges represent the easternmost corner of the Polynesian Triangle, a region with an exceptionally rich and long history of seafaring cultures (credit: Pond5). Bottom : The ridges provide critical migration corridors for many mobile species, such as humpback whales (credit: Rodolphe Holler).
In early January, Greenpeace’s ship the Arctic Sunrise set sail to Antarctica. On board were a team of scientists from Stony Brook University, who joined to conduct groundbreaking research on remote penguin colonies, many of which have never before been surveyed, in order to assess the impacts of a rapidly changing Antarctic on this important species.
A gentoo penguin colony on Andersson Island, Antarctic Sound, Antarctica.
The Arctic Sunrise travelled on to the Weddell Sea, where the scientists found that vast colonies of Adélie penguins have remained stable in the last decade, providing vital new evidence that these areas remain a climate refuge for Adélie penguins, a sentinel species.
Adélie penguin colony on Devil Island, Weddell Sea
The findings add more weight to the theory that the Weddell Sea may provide an important shelter for wildlife from the worst impacts of the climate crisis. The Weddell Sea is the site of a vast proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA), first proposed nearly a decade ago by the Antarctic Ocean Commission (CCAMLR), and has not yet been delivered.
A window to Antarctica – giant portal appears in London
On January 24th, a giant portal (4m tall and weighing almost 4 tonnes) appeared in Trafalgar Square, London, broadcasting live from remote penguin colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula and bringing the remote and fragile Antarctic straight into the heart of a bustling city over 8,000 miles away.
Will McCallum, Head of Oceans at Greenpeace UK, said: “We see these places on nature documentaries and they seem like another world, but they’re not, they’re our world. What happens in the Antarctic affects us all. Hopefully people being able to see life going on in the Antarctic first hand, like these penguin chicks waddling across in front of me, will bring home how real and urgent the plight of the oceans is ahead of crucial government negotiations at the United Nations this March.”
Almost 5 million people around the world are calling for a strong High Seas Treaty
In February, giant ocean creatures,
hourglasses and direct communications popped up around the world. Almost 5
million people globally are asking their governments to take ambitious action
to agree to a High Seas Treaty. Eleven Greenpeace offices around the world (and
counting) delivered this petition[PRK1] to their governments,
stepping up the pressure as the UN negotiations taking place in New-York from
7-18 March.
Over 100 participants from 20 governments in the Middle East and North Africa region came together in January 2021 to discuss the urgent need for increased ocean protection to combat the escalating climate crisis and dramatic biodiversity loss worldwide. The virtual regional workshop was convened by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The workshop outlined the benefits to people and the planet of an ambitious target to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and sea by 2030 and the critical importance of a robust new High Seas treaty to deliver that goal.
Greenpeace ships Arctic Sunrise and the Rainbow Warrior are currently voyaging through the high seas of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific: crucial battlegrounds against destructive industries, home to unique ecosystems and surrounded by coastal communities that a strong Global Ocean Treaty would help protect.
To inform
UN negotiations for a new International Legally-Binding Instrument for the
conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond
national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) under UNCLOS, IUCN and DOSI, with
support by the Swedish government, have been co-hosting a series of knowledge-building
webinars on relevant themes. This effort is aimed at fostering momentum during
the extended intersessional period of the negotiations, imposed by the COVID-19
pandemic. The overview and video recordings are available below.
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV) met the representatives of major BBNJ institutions in Ankara, on March 23, 2021. The meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and attended by representatives from the Ministry of Urbanization and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The Latin American region’s positive leadership
has been tangible towards the final phase of the negotiations for a new legally
binding BBNJ Treaty.
In this context, High Seas Alliance representatives
supported a webinar on capacity building and the transfer of marine technology
hosted by Honduras and El Salvador on March 23rd, 2021.
HSA provided support towards the organization and experts’ selections, as
well as interpreters to facilitate the discussions between
the participants and the experts.
