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Nature and EnvironmentGlobal issues

UN high seas treaty: How to better protect our oceans

February 24, 2023

UN member states have agreed on an historic treaty that would better protect the world's high seas, the portions of the ocean that don't fall under the jurisdiction of any state.

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A school of fish swimming by a coral reef
Image: Reinhard Dirscherl/picture alliance

The historic treaty, agreed to on March 4, 2022 will protect and preserve vast areas of the world's oceans. While the high seas make up nearly 60% of the world's oceans, they have long drawn far less attention than coastal waters.

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