A colorful illustration of a seahorse surrounded by oceanic elements. The text reads: "PrepCom must lay the groundwork for ambition, equity, and action—so BBNJ COP1 is ready to deliver. #BBNJPrepCom.

The High Seas is under growing pressure: warming, acidification, overexploitation.

#BBNJPrepCom 3 must lay the groundwork for #BBNJCOP 1 to move quickly toward High Seas #MPAs and sustainable management of our ocean.

Modern fishing is going further and deeper than ever. But there's a big catch Fishing efforts multiplied nine times between 1970 and 2008. And yet the more we fish, the less fish we are catching.

The #HighSeasTreaty could be a game-changer: only 1% of oceans are truly protected, but now countries can safeguard more! Overfished species can recover—if we let them 🌊

#DanielPauly: “We are not helpless.” Every choice counts.
#SustainableFisheries #MPAs #FishBase www.bigissue.com/life/food/mo...

Marine conservation on the high seas The coming into force of the UN High Seas Treaty in January raises many questions. One particularly pressing issue is where protected areas should be established by 2030. A German researchers team aim...

With the new #UnitedNations #HighSeasTreaty, German scientists investigate how new international #MarineProtectedAreas respond to #ClimateChange 🌍

www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

#AAAS #MPAs #MarineEcology #Climate

Yet, to reach #30x30 ocean target, we need to:
🌊 add daily 42,234 km² of new MPAs (roughly the size of Denmark 🇩🇰)
🌊 Manage all these #MPAs effectively & equitably.
Rolling up our sleeves at @blueactionfund.org to do our little contribution...

10% milestone reached 🎉🥳: In the last year, #MPAs coverage increased by around 1% to 9.75%. With most recent designations in 🇨🇱 & 🇧🇷, we should have surpassed the 10% Milestone (& thus reached former Aichi Target) 🕺💃. #OceanOptimism #30x30 #COP17

🥳🎉3 new #MPAs in 🇩🇪.
Detailed descriptions about the sites, process etc. (in German) ➡️ ogy.de/eh6k #OceanOptimism #30x30 @umweltministerium.de @oceanunger.bsky.social

Interested in #MPAs and 🌊 #30x30? Please follow Marine Conservation Institute at @savingoceans.bsky.social
#MPAAtlas #BlueParks 🥳

Right on time for PrepCom, @iddri.bsky.social publishes guide on leveraging technologies for monitoring, control & surveillance of high seas #MPAs. ogy.de/vczj
#30x30 #BBNJ

Australia showcases diverse governance in globally significant protected areas update - UNEP-WCMC New designations reported by Australia to the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas mean the world is near to protecting 10 per cent of the ocean

Australia makes waves for #Target3

167 new protected & conserved areas were added to the #WDPCA, including 11 Indigenous Protected Areas & Australia’s first #OECM.

A massive 400% expansion of the Heard & McDonald Islands makes it one of the largest #MPAs on Earth

www.unep-wcmc.org/en/news/aust...

Scampi fishing in North Sea driving ‘invisible’ climate cost, scientists say Research led by the University of Exeter examined carbon in the Fladen Ground – a large muddy seabed east of Scotland

🚨 Bottom trawling in the North Sea is driving a hidden climate cost, new research shows

Fishing for scampi disturbs carbon that's been locked in seabed mud for thousands of years, according to scientists. This destruction must end!

#BanBottomTrawling in #MPAs 🌊
https://bit.ly/4rk5Qf6

We went to see Sir. David Attebborough’s ‘Ocean’, with live orchestra accompaniment @ulsterorchestra.bsky.social. A story about the massive world-wide industrial scale over-fishing with hope that we act to create #MPAs with no bottom trawling.

youtu.be/cIZAdCtKT_g

It will be held tomorrow, March 4, at 2:15 EDT—please come by if you're attending!

🌊 The summit is focusing on turning sustainable ocean commitments into concrete actions. The recent ratification of the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty (BBNJ) provides tools to create #MPAs on the high seas.

PML's Prof Kerry Howell @deepseaecol.bsky.social joins a session on the effective and equitable implementation of #30×30, how #MarineProtectedAreas ( #MPAs) can be expanded in economically viable ways, & what financing, governance & leadership are needed to turn commitments into credible protection.

👇🏼 highlights urgency to both fight climate change & better protect marine life. #30x30 #MPAs

Recovery of marine #TopPredators is achievable. Our global review identified 481 success stories. The commonest management measure was bycatch reduction (57%), followed by the establishment of #MPAs (15%) and #InvasiveSpecies management (6%)
👉 www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...
🌍🌐🧪 #OceanOptimism

Azores dodges proposal to overturn no-fishing zones in its giant new MPA network SÃO MATEUS, Portugal — Winter forced Emanuel Alves to remove his boat from the water at the port of São Mateus in the Azores, the Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean. The 64-year-old fi...

It was huge news in 2024 when the #Azores established its huge Marine Protected Areas Network, which 19 species of #whales & 19 #sharks, plus sea turtles & more call home

So when these #MPAs were pressured to open up for fishing recently, there was a big outcry

That measure has now been defeated:

A Landmark 'High Seas Treaty' Has Arrived. Here's Why It's a Big Deal. The United Nations Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJA) – nicknamed the 'High Seas Treaty' – comes into force on January 17, a massive milestone in efforts to conserve marine life in international waters.

Scientists and experts explain why the #HighSeasTreaty is a historic achievement, and the proposals for marine protected areas (#MPAs) in the High Seas can set precedents for future conservation efforts and influence the pace and scope of protection across the High Seas.

this screenshot, from the Protected Planet, shows the current situation of MPAs, you can navigate there

You can discover the #MPAs in the world, and their status, using this link of Protected Planet, where 16,805 MPAs are presented
www.protectedplanet.net/en/thematic-areas/marine...
#GES4SEAS #MOOC #oceanoptimism
#MarineEcology #Research

this table, from the Marine Protection Atlas, shows the status of the marine protection areas in the world

Implemented and designated Marine Protected Areas #MPAs occupy >23 M km2 and there are >10 M km2 proposed.
We are still far from the objective of 30% but….
#GES4SEAS #MOOC #oceanoptimism
#MarineEcology #Research

Ineffective marine protected areas in Azores

Expanding #MPAs does not guarantee protection.

Azores’ recent new MPAs, as well as newly designated areas, miss key coastal ecosystems protection.

This letter in @science.org calls for scientific evidence, transparency and stakeholder participation to deliver real biodiversity and social benefits.

this graph from Duarte et al, in Nature in 2020, shows the global increase in marine protected areas and the restoration projects on coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses, etc.

These authors show the global growth of restoration interventions,
These have been done in #MPAs Marine Protected Areas, #coral and oyster reefs, #saltmarshes, #mangroves, kelps and #seagrasses
There is a clear increase of recovery in recent years
#GES4SEAS […]

[Original post on fediscience.org]

150+ countries back @ipbes.net: GDP growth is driving #EUbiodiversity collapse. Yet the EU Commission is pushing deregulation in the name of competitiveness.

Ignoring science is self-sabotage.

#HandsOffNature @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu

ipbes.net/node/97532
#MPAs #RethinkFisheries

#MPAs marine protected areas are good solutions to rebuild depleted resources, as in Baja California, but also in many places around the globe
#MarineEcology
#Research

#NorthSeaSummit: cross-border #offshorewind planning moves forward, but nature remains in the backseat. 🌊
Find out more in our analysis 👉 seas-at-risk.org/general-news...
#Renewables #EnergyTransition #REPowerEU #MPAs #RethinkFisheries #EUBiodiversity

Six key policy recommendations to advocate for marine conservation that matches the ocean’s dynamism - npj Ocean Sustainability Marine ecosystems face threats from human-induced stressors like climate change, pollution, and habitat loss. Despite international endeavors, significant gaps remain in understanding ocean dynamics. ...

🌊 Conservation must keep pace with a moving ocean.

The authors of this Comment call for inclusive governance, stronger monitoring and evaluation, and the use of accessible digital tools, among other key recommendations.

These steps would make #MPAs more effective and help meet the #30x30 target.

Supporting the High Seas Treaty with Operational Ocean Data | CMEMS As the High Seas Treaty enters into force, the Copernicus Marine Service provides the scientific backbone for marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments, and evidence-based ocean governa...

Only effective, science-based implementation can turn agreement into real protection for the ocean.

@copernicusmarine.bsky.social data can support the #HighSeasTreaty by:

➡️ Providing info to identify #MPAs
➡️ Supporting EIAs
➡️ Enabling transparency & cooperation

#60toGlobal

Marine protected areas miss key habitats of Bryde's whales and bottlenose dolphins exposed to anthropogenic stressors Anthropogenic stressors have cumulative environmental impacts that threaten marine ecosystems' biodiversity. Establishing marine protected areas (MPAs…

Study of #Bryde's #whale & #bottlenose #dolphins in the waters of #Brazil show limitations of current #MPAs which "...do not cover oceanic zones heavily impacted by anthropogenic stressors."

share.google/UfLGrRSBnd2j...

The High Seas Treaty Comes Into Force: What This Means for Ocean Protection - The Earthshot Prize Until now, the High Seas were governed via a patchwork of rules, with no single framework to protect biodiversity in a coordinated way.

The first global treaty to protect marine biodiversity in international waters is now in effect. Learn what this means for our global Ocean at earthshotprize.org/news/the-hig...

#HighSeasTreaty #MPAs #EIAs

The High Seas Treaty has been ratified by 81 nations; the UK introduced a bill last September, but it still needs to pass through Parliament and be signed into UK law #HighSeasTreaty #Conservation #Oceans #MPAs #MarineProtection #Nature #Environment

‘A beacon of hope’ WWF: Entry into force of the High Seas Treaty ushers in ‘a new era of ocean governance’.

www.mygreenpod.com/articles/a-b...
#HighSeasTreaty #MPAs #MarineProtection #Oceans #Sea #Law #MarineLife #Conservation