The High Seas Treaty
Two-thirds of the ocean gets a legal framework for protection for the first time.
- When
- Known to
- ± 12 hours
- Era
- Contemporary, Holocene
Agreed on 4 March 2023 after nearly twenty years of negotiation, the treaty allows marine protected areas to be established in international waters, which cover about 61% of the ocean and had no mechanism for it. It entered into force in January 2026 after the sixtieth ratification. Whether it delivers depends on a scientific body and a conference of parties that have barely begun work.