Reacción a "Reactions: Oceans Treaty goes ahead after more than 15 years of negotiations"

This agreement is a big step towards others that should be taken more forcefully. Habitat degradation, unsustainable resource exploitation, pollution, invasive species and the climate emergency threaten the diversity of life in the ocean and with it, the services it provides us. Today we face global challenges that threaten the health of marine ecosystems, biodiversity and thus our own well-being. Many of these challenges need to be addressed from several angles. The ocean has no gates, no borders. If marine protected areas are created, but anthropogenic pressures on adjacent areas are not reduced, the impact will come. And it will come, and humans will forget, because humans transform the world and, over time, we lose important knowledge about the state of the natural world. 

In addition to protected areas, the agreement also pays special attention to the challenge of access to genetic resources and benefit sharing, establishing an access and benefit-sharing mechanism for fair and equitable participation. Key will be the formation of a group of people with the capacity to carry out this mechanism in the most effective and committed way, without giving rise to conflicts of interest.  

Special attention is also given to mechanisms for conducting environmental assessments for the sustainable use of resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction, which is key for the present and near future. Another major element is capacity building and transfer of marine technology; it will be important to define concrete mechanisms for efficient implementation. Likewise, it will be necessary to define how the UNCLOS Secretariat will effectively connect with other related bodies (e.g. IOC-UNESCO, IMO, UNEP, among others) that by the nature of their missions can contribute a great deal to the different processes, and not leave it at "possible cooperation".  

The agreement recognises the "desire" to protect the marine environment and ensure its responsible use while maintaining the integrity of ecosystems. It would be desirable that, rather than a desire, it should be a commitment.