EDITORIAL: The entry into force of the UN’s Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty marks a rare moment of collective seriousness in global environmental governance. After 15 years of negotiation and more than 80 ratifications, states have finally agreed on a legally binding framework to protect parts of the ocean that belong to no one yet affect everyone. That achievement alone deserves recognition, particularly at a time when multilateralism is often dismissed as hollow or ineffective.
The context matters. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s oceans lie beyond national jurisdiction. Until now, these vast spaces have existed in a legal grey zone, exposed to overfishing, pollution and unregulated commercial activity.
The treaty’s ambition to bring 30 percent of the oceans under protection by 2030 reflects an understanding that biodiversity loss at sea is no longer an abstract future risk but a present, accelerating crisis.
Reaching consensus across such a large and diverse group of states, each with its own economic priorities and maritime interests, was never going to be easy. That it was achieved at all speaks to the depth of scientific evidence and diplomatic effort behind it.
The treaty’s architecture reflects years of careful compromise. It creates mechanisms for marine protected areas in international waters, mandates environmental impact assessments for activities that could harm ocean ecosystems, and introduces rules for sharing the benefits of the so-called blue economy, including marine genetic resources. These provisions address long-standing inequities, particularly the concern that technologically advanced states and corporations could extract value from the high seas without accountability or benefit-sharing.
READ MORE: UN biodiversity treaty enters into force, aims to protect 30pc of oceans by 2030
At the same time, the limits of the agreement must be acknowledged honestly. One of the most controversial threats to marine ecosystems, deep-sea mining, remains outside the treaty’s remit and is instead left to the International Seabed Authority. That carve-out reflects political realities rather than ecological logic.
As demand grows for minerals used in batteries and renewable technologies, pressure on the ocean floor will intensify. The absence of a unified regulatory approach risks undermining broader conservation goals if extraction proceeds faster than scientific understanding.
There is also the scale of the task. Environmental groups estimate that more than 190,000 protected areas would be required to meet the “30 by 30” target. At present, only around eight percent of the ocean enjoys any form of protection.
Closing that gap within a few years will require sustained political commitment, technical capacity and financing that many states, especially developing ones, currently lack. Ratification was the easier part. Implementation will be far more demanding.
This is where the real test begins. Translating treaty obligations into action means navigating overlapping jurisdictions, commercial lobbies, national security concerns and, inevitably, governance weaknesses. Fisheries’ interests will resist restrictions.
Shipping and resource extraction industries will push back against environmental assessments that slow operations. In some countries, regulatory agencies will struggle with limited capacity.
In others, corruption and collusion will blunt enforcement, turning protected areas into lines on a map rather than living safeguards.
Multilateral environmental agreements have failed before at precisely this stage. Ambitious targets are set, monitoring is weak, and accountability dissolves as attention shifts elsewhere.
Avoiding that fate will require transparency, independent scientific input and credible enforcement mechanisms. It will also require wealthier states to support poorer ones through financing, technology transfer and capacity-building, rather than treating conservation as a moral obligation that others must shoulder alone.
Yet despite these risks, the treaty remains a necessary step forward. It establishes a baseline of shared responsibility and creates tools that did not previously exist. It also sends a signal that, even in a fractured geopolitical climate, cooperation on global commons is still possible when evidence is overwhelming and the stakes are clear.
Protecting the high seas was never going to be quick or clean. The new framework will face resistance, delays and inevitable compromises. But dismissing it for its imperfections would miss the larger point.
The oceans cannot wait for perfect solutions. What matters now is whether governments treat this agreement as a living commitment rather than a diplomatic trophy.
The credibility of global environmental governance will depend not on what was signed in Singapore, but on what is enforced, funded and defended in the years ahead.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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