An attempt to reach agreement on a new legally binding ocean protection treaty that green groups believe will decide whether efforts to safeguard global biodiversity can succeed will be a top issue as delegations from hundreds of countries meet in New York.
Earlier discussion on the new United Nations ocean conservation treaty were suspended last August as countries were unable to reach an agreement on financing alongside sharing the proceeds of “marine genetic resources” and the establishment of ocean environmental impact assessment rules for development.
However, experts familiar with the negotiations said major parties are making progress on key issues as new talks begin, though compromises were still being sought.
“There seems to be an appetite to actually finalise the treaty now,” said Jessica Battle, ocean expert at the Worldwide Fund for Nature.
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“There are several countries who are looking for some concessions to be made, but at the end of the day what is really important is that the treaty doesn’t get too watered down,” she said, noting that one attempt to exclude fishing from the treaty had already been defeated,” she added.
The finance question still remains a key factor in the success of the talks scheduled to hold from February 20 to March 3, and China is set to be a major player in the negotiations, especially when it comes to bringing other developing nations on board.
According to Greenpeace, countries can only meet the target of protecting 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030 when 11 million square kilometres (4.25 million square miles) of ocean are protected every year between now and the end of the decade.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry has said in a statement that it was working hard to achieve “a high-quality agreement that takes conservation and sustainable use into account and can be generally accepted by the international community” and how to share the proceeds from ocean industrial development, including the use of marine genetic resources in pharmaceuticals and other industries, will also be a crucial factor for China, which is already home to six of the 10 biggest global companies that run high seas fishing fleets.
Story was adapted from Reuters.
