Everyone knows that we live on a blue planet. But how many people realise that nearly half of our planet is beyond the reach of any enforceable law or governance? The international waters of the High Seas, that lie outside any country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), make up 64% of our global ocean and cover 46% of Earth’s surface. And the reality of these vast, deep ocean realms is far removed from the endless grey-blue nothingness we gaze at from airplane windows. They contain a vibrant, awe-inspiring alternate world of hidden wonders. A supersized world where we find our planet’s highest mountains, deepest canyons, most important carbon sinks, and its biggest creatures that live the longest and travel the furthest. 

Yet one thing that is not supersized is the protection we afford them: just 1.3% of the High Seas is protected, compared to 17% of the land. The High Seas has the fewest rules and even fewer ways to enforce them. Unbelievably, after decades of environmental agreements and in the face of global climate and nature crises that cannot be resolved without a healthy ocean, we still have not reached an agreement on how to safeguard the precious life and habitats of our planet’s last great wilderness.

In March 2022, there is a once in a lifetime chance to change that. Representatives of the world’s governments are scheduled to gather at the United Nations in New York to negotiate the final terms of a new High Seas Treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the notorious BBNJ). It’s a high stakes moment for the High Seas because this is far from a done deal, and a weak, watered-down agreement could do more harm than good.

“These treaty talks are the first time in 40 years that governments are negotiating a treaty for the ocean and the first time ever to protect marine biodiversity,” says Peggy Kalas of the High Seas Alliance. “We all need a healthy High Seas and we all need a robust, ambitious High Seas Treaty to safeguard the future of our planet.”

The High Seas connects us all. It’s the backdrop to humanity’s long history of seafaring, discovery, migration and mythology. It nurtures the iconic species that criss-cross the globe. Creatures who visit our beaches and that we associate with the shores and the shallows – like sea turtles, corals, and even penguins – also venture hundreds of miles out to sea. And the hurricanes that lash islands and coasts first swell up far out in the open ocean. As our leaders struggle to find a pathway to limit global heating to 1.5oC, it’s worth remembering that, without the ocean absorbing 90% of the extra heat and a third of the carbon we produce, our planet would have turned into an unliveable hellscape years ago. Instead, the ocean is our greatest climate ally, and the ancient untouched ecosystems of the deep sea are a treasure trove for scientists studying changes in Earth’s climate and chemistry over the centuries. The High Seas makes our blue planet work. But we are not working for the High Seas.

For a long time, the High Seas was immune to human impacts; too remote and too big for even us to spoil. But no longer. Fishing, shipping, drilling, plastic, and pollution are all taking their toll, while accelerating climate change is making the seas warmer, less oxygenated, and more acidic, all of which pose an existential threat to marine biodiversity. That’s why a strong High Seas Treaty is so essential. And that’s why the treaty must include the mechanism for establishing and enforcing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in international waters – something for which there is currently no legal framework, leaving the High Seas exposed to exploitation.

Imagine a future where the ocean is protected, the sea life we love is thriving, and humanity shares the bounty of marine resources. To show what we can gain if we protect the High Seas, the High Seas Alliance is uncovering the hidden natural wonders in global ocean hotspots that could be among the first MPAs created under a new High Seas Treaty, like these three revealed below.