The Global Ocean Treaty – formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, or BBNJ – came into force in January, following almost two decades of negotiations. It covers the roughly two-thirds of the global ocean that lies outside any single country’s jurisdiction: vast, largely unexplored regions that hold extraordinary and still poorly understood levels of biodiversity.
Governments have committed to protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, a target scientists describe as the absolute minimum needed for marine ecosystems to recover from decades of overexploitation.
But the threat to that ambition is not only political. A new study published in the journal npj Ocean Sustainability, led by Dr Claire Szostek of the University of Plymouth, warns that the treaty also faces significant scientific and technological challenges that must be urgently addressed.
Dr Szostek said: “The BBNJ agreement is a major global achievement that has great potential when it comes to protecting some of the most remote and pristine parts of our ocean. It has taken a long time and a lot of effort to reach this point, but until now focus has been on policy, with no clear and concise picture of how the agreement can be implemented from a scientific perspective.
“Our study delivers that, providing a solutions-focussed pathway to implementing the agreement and helping drive the realisation of equitable, sustainable and resilient management of the high seas.”
The researchers – drawn from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, The Nature Conservancy, and the Natural History Museum – reviewed the science available to support each of the treaty’s four pillars, identifying where existing technologies could be adapted, where emerging tools such as marine autonomous vessels and artificial intelligence could fill gaps, and where investment in data collection and capacity building in less developed nations is urgently needed.
Professor Matt Frost, Head of the International Office at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and a senior author on the study, said: “The BBNJ is an incredible opportunity, including in terms of how it will consolidate and achieve global marine protection goals. But making the rules is actually the easier part – ensuring delivery is where the real challenge lies.
“This unprecedented exercise in global diplomacy requires the strategic mobilisation and utilisation of the best available scientific data, expertise and technology. Furthermore, it will require major capacity-building in those geographic areas where resources have historically been limited or inaccessible.”
With just two days of preparatory talks in New York remaining, campaigners are urging governments to act on both fronts simultaneously – rejecting the RFMO power-grab while committing to the scientific investment the treaty demands.
Randles said: “We urgently need governments to reject these proposals before key ocean treaty talks end. If they don’t, they risk failing in their commitment to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 with catastrophic consequences.”
Greenpeace is calling for a package of reforms ahead of the first Ocean COP in January 2027, including a mandatory 120-day time limit on RFMO reviews of sanctuary proposals to prevent deliberate stalling, rigorous monitoring of delegation composition to identify conflicts of interest, and mandatory disclosure of all delegation affiliations to ensure scientific recommendations remain free from corporate influence.
Meus said: “We now have the historic opportunity with the Global Ocean Treaty to cordon off big areas of the ocean to allow it to recover – we can’t let the effects of decades of lobbying interfere with this.”