Governance and Conservation of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction

Marine areas beyond national jurisdiction account for nearly two-thirds of the global ocean and harbour immense biodiversity and critical ecosystem services. Governance has long been framed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but gaps in conservation provisions prompted decades of negotiations culminating in the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement. This treaty introduces four key elements—marine genetic resources, area-based management tools, environmental impact assessments and capacity building with technology transfer—to address overexploitation, habitat degradation and emerging uses such as deep‐sea mining and marine biotechnology. Effective conservation in remote waters also depends on recognising ecological connectivity between the high seas and coastal zones, integrating climate resilience, and ensuring equitable participation by developing states. Practical implementation will require robust scientific guidance, transparent decision-making and adaptive frameworks that balance freedom of navigation with precautionary marine protection at a truly global scale.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Governance and Conservation of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in governance and conservation of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement: A legally binding international treaty under UNCLOS that establishes rules for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Area-based management tools (ABMTs): Spatially explicit measures—such as marine protected areas and marine spatial planning—designed to regulate human activities and conserve ecosystems in the ocean.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA): A systematic process for evaluating the potential environmental effects of planned activities in marine areas before they are authorised.

Capacity building and transfer of marine technology (CBTMT): Treaty provisions aimed at enhancing the technical expertise and technology access of developing states to support conservation and sustainable use.

Ecological connectivity: The movement and interactions of species, genetic material and ecological processes across different marine areas, linking the high seas with coastal ecosystems.

References

1. First to finish, what comes next? Putting Capacity Building and the Transfer of Marine Technology under the BBNJ Agreement into practice. npj Ocean Sustainability (2024).
2. Decisive conservation action in areas beyond national jurisdiction is urgently required for seabird recovery in the face of global change. Conservation Letters (2023).
3. The new UN high seas marine biodiversity Agreement may also facilitate climate action: a cautiously optimistic view. npj Climate Action (2024).
4. Ecological connectivity between the areas beyond national jurisdiction and coastal waters: Safeguarding interests of coastal communities in developing countries. Marine Policy (2019).