High Seas Treaty comes into force and changes ocean protection

The BBNJ Agreement (High Seas Treaty), created by the UN (United Nations), establishes rules for the protection of marine areas outside national jurisdictions and marks a historic step in the international governance of the oceans.

The BBNJ now regulates approximately 64% of the oceans, equivalent to half of the planet's surface.

Thus, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) calculates that the ocean economy tends to exceed US$ 3 trillion by 2030.

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The Treaty creates instruments to expand ocean conservation, standardizes the regulation of high-impact activities and strengthens the capacity of developing countries to protect the oceans.

Experts point out that the implementation of the measures developed by the Agreement are of great relevance given the current climate scenario.

It is also clarified that the lack of regulation and inspection in high seas areas contributes to the intensification of factors such as overfishing, ecosystem degradation and impacts that directly affect the global climate balance, a factor that affects all countries.

The main developments of the BBNJ include the protection of new marine areas in international waters, strengthening the supervision of activities with potential environmental impact and the development of knowledge and specialized labor for marine conservation on the planet.

Bravo Impact's co-founder and research and impact leader, Helena Villela, the High-Tide Treaty is a global milestone and proposes implementations of extreme importance for Earth's biodiversity, seeing the consequences that we are already experiencing.

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"Communicating this process in an honest and transparent way, as well as public engagement to demand that the measures are actually implemented and monitored, is essential for the treaty to be successful", expresses Helena.

Another aspect of the Agreement created by the UN is that it creates opportunities for the development of conservation projects. This enables the generation of new jobs and technical training, especially in developing countries, so that they can have more participation in the protection and management of marine resources.

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The founder and creative leader of Bravo Impact, Jorge Brivilati, comments that, for him, this initiative expands social engagement in the environmental agenda. "Complex environmental issues require informed public participation. When society understands what is at stake, it increases its capacity to demand, monitor and support the measures necessary to protect the oceans", pointed out the creativity leader.

Helena Villela also highlights that "It is a great relief to see such important environmental issues gain prominence", aiming to advance global environmental governance, which for the research leader represents a change in the collective perception of the environment.

*Under the supervision of Thomaz Coelho

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Source: CNN