@techreport{,

title = {A Path to Creating the First Generation of High Seas Protected Areas},

author = {Karan, L.,Clark, N.},

url = {https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2020/03/a-path-to-creating-the-first-generation-of-high-seas-protected-areas},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-01-01},

number = {130},

pages = {42},

publisher = {Pew Charitable Trusts},

abstract = {Beyond the horizon, more than 200 nautical miles from shore, lies an area of the ocean known as the high seas.

These waters, beyond the jurisdiction of any nation, make up roughly two-thirds of the ocean and cover nearly

half of the planet’s surface. Much is still to be learned about these areas, but scientists know they teem with life

and are among the largest reservoirs of ocean biodiversity. The high seas support abundant fisheries; provide

habitat and migratory routes for whales, sharks, sea turtles, and seabirds; and harbor remarkable ecosystems,

such as deep-water corals and other majestic marine life.

The high seas are also an increasingly busy space; rapid advances in technology and increasing demand for

goods and trade in recent decades mean virtually no part of the ocean—including these waters far from shore—

remains untouched by human industrial activity. Currently, a patchwork of different regional and sectoral

organizations manages this last global common space with little coordination among organizations, and that

is leading to the degradation of the marine environment and its resources. These areas belong to everyone, yet

governments currently have no comprehensive legal mechanism in place to protect high seas marine life.

There is an opportunity for this to change. Negotiations are under way at the United Nations to finalize a new

high seas treaty focused on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond national

jurisdiction. The treaty could allow nations to establish comprehensive, cross-sector marine protected areas

(MPAs) on the high seas. These areas, when well-managed, can be effective tools in building ocean resilience

to climate change, avoiding fisheries collapse, and preserving biodiversity. Currently, less than 1 per cent of

high seas waters are highly protected, but scientific evidence suggests that protecting at least 30 per cent of

the ocean is more likely to achieve long-term ocean health objectives.1 High seas MPAs can play a key role in

reaching this target.

Although there is much still to discover, scientists have sufficient data and research to begin mapping and

modeling hot spots of biodiversity on the high seas.2 This report identifies some of the special places that could

benefit from protections established under a new high seas treaty. The findings build off a project funded by The

Pew Charitable Trusts and led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in conjunction

with partners from 13 universities and organizations. Using an algorithm that allows for consideration of

multiple factors, researchers developed a data-driven analysis to identify areas in the high seas of outstanding

conservation value.

The 10 sites highlighted represent areas with a spectrum and combination of important features, such as

species richness, productivity, and habitat diversity. They are located in oceans that span the globe.

This report also includes recommendations to inform the negotiations under way to finalize a new legally

binding international agreement. The agreement should ensure the establishment of effective high seas

protections, including by setting meaningful conservation objectives and requiring enforceable management

plans for these critical waters beyond the jurisdiction of any single nation. },

keywords = {Arabian Sea, biodiversity, Gulf of Guinea, high seas, Madagascar, Marine Protected Area, Mascarene Islands, migration},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}