In January 2026, the High Seas Treaty came into force.
How many protected areas has it created so far? None.
Only members that have formally joined can agree on one, and they haven’t held their first decision-making meeting yet. In January 2027, members will meet in New York for the first time.
What I don’t know is how long it will take to agree on the first area, or even where it will be.
This is a three-minute explainer on the High Seas Treaty.
What should I explain next?
Sources
[The High Seas Treaty, UN page:] https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/en
[Full text of the treaty:] https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/sites/default/files/2024-08/Text%20of%20the%20Agreement%20in%20English.pdf
[Who has joined (UN Treaty Collection):] https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/MTDSG/Volume%20II/Chapter%20XXI/XXI-10.en.pdf
[The first meeting of members, 11–22 January 2027:] https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/en/COP/background
[The first notice under the treaty’s sea-life sample rules (Ireland, July 2026):] https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/en/notification-2026-002
[High-seas protected areas set up so far:] OSPAR https://www.ospar.org/work-areas/bdc/marine-protected-areas/mpas-in-areas-beyond-national-jurisdiction and CCAMLR https://www.ccamlr.org/sites/default/files/91-03.pdf
[How much of the ocean is protected:] https://iucn.org/press-release/202604/world-reaches-milestone-nature-10-ocean-now-officially-protected
[Russia’s position, UN conference report (2023):] https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4016005/files/A_CONF.232_2023_5-EN.pdf
