seagulls flying above rough waters
Project

Protecting Ocean Life on the High Seas

Secciones

Protecting Ocean Life on the High Seas
The high seas make up about two-thirds of the world’s ocean, covering the vast expanses beyond the jurisdiction of any country.

Research has shown that the high seas hold some of the largest reservoirs of biodiversity on Earth, supporting abundant fisheries, providing migratory routes for whales and sharks and harboring remarkable ecosystems such as deep-water corals and other majestic marine life.

In June 2023, with extensive support from Pew, the United Nations adopted a new treaty establishing a legal framework to create a network of high seas marine protected areas—the equivalent of international parks at sea—and put in place standards, guidelines and a consistent process for assessing the environmental impacts of new high seas activities.

To help ensure that the ocean continues to provide ecosystem services and maintain resilience against threats such as climate change and overfishing, Pew is working in partnership with governments, scientists, regional and other bodies, and other key stakeholder groups to enable the rapid and effective implementation of the treaty once it enters into force. Pew’s focus in this collaborative effort is on establishing a path towards the creation of the first generation of high seas marine protected areas by 2030.

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Getty Images
Report

Un camino hacia la creación de la primera generación de áreas protegidas en altamar

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Report

Más allá del horizonte, a más de 200 millas náuticas de la costa, se extiende un área del océano que se conoce como altamar. Estas aguas, que se encuentran fuera de la jurisdicción de cualquier nación, conforman aproximadamente las dos terceras partes del océano y cubren casi la mitad de la superficie del planeta.

Data Visualization

Protect High Seas

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Data Visualization

Did you know that only 1% of the high seas have legal protections? Learn more about safeguarding this vital international ecosystem with the marine protected areas tool from Pew.

Issue Brief

Inside the New High Seas Treaty

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Issue Brief

On 20 September 2023, the United Nations opened its new agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction—also known as the BBNJ treaty or high seas treaty —for signature and ratification.

Lancet fish
Mesopelagic fishes
Issue Brief

El tratado de altamar debe reflejar el rol crítico de los peces en los ecosistemas marinos

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Issue Brief

Miembros de las Naciones Unidas están negociando un tratado que haría posible la conservación y el uso sostenible de la biodiversidad en las áreas fuera de la jurisdicción nacional (ABNJ, por sus siglas en inglés), incluidas las aguas internacionales conocidas como alta mar.

Our Work

Video

Proteger la Altamar

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Video

La altamar —las aguas que quedan más allá de la jurisdicción de cualquier país— cubre más de la mitad de la superficie de nuestro planeta.