India has taken a major step towards protecting marine life by uniting with the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, often known as the “Treaty of the High Seas.” This week, India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, signed the treaty at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, showing India’s commitment to conserving ocean habitats and supporting sustainability globally.

Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement

The BBNJ Agreement or the “Treaty of the High Seas” emphasises on maintaining marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, ocean zones located 370 km from any nation’s coastline. The high seas cover two-thirds of the world’s oceans and are critical to global ecological balance. The pact describes how countries can sustainably exploit ocean resources while protecting the advantages of marine life, which are pretty shared across nations.

One of the BBNJ Agreement’s guiding principles is its all-around approach, which fuses traditional knowledge with modern research to protect ocean ecosystems. It provides a foundation for countries to plan their high seas activities, comprising environmental impact assessments to lessen harm to marine ecosystems. This pact is critical to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 14, which centres on safeguarding life below water.

After more than two decades of debate, the BBNJ Agreement was finally adopted in 2023. It prohibits harmful activities like destructive fishing and pollution on the high seas. The government counted India’s decision to join the accord in July 2024, and Minister Jaishankar expressed joy in taking this significant step forward for ocean health.

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Challenges and Opportunities in India’s Marine Biodiversity

Despite this progress, India’s marine biodiversity faces considerable problems. More than 2,492 marine fish live in India, with 91 found only in Indian waters. Unfortunately, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed about 50 species as threatened. Overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation, and dredging pose the most harmful risks to India’s maritime ecosystems.

By bonding with the BBNJ framework, India hopes to enhance the preservation of its maritime biodiversity. The pact empowers India to create marine protected zones on the high seas, taking into account environmental evaluations, and keep an eye on the sustainable use of marine resources. It also encourages international cooperation and technology sharing, giving India more instruments to assist its conservation efforts.

Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran focussed that the BBNJ Agreement broadens India’s impact outside its Exclusive Economic Zone, creating new options for marine conservation and biodiversity preservation.

So far, 91 countries have connected with the BBNJ Agreement, depicting an extending worldwide consensus on the call to protect marine life in international waters. Signatories comprise Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, and numerous European Union countries. The pact also correlates with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal of protecting 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.

The BBNJ Agreement, part of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, covers crucial issues such as ocean conservation, environmental degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

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