International High Seas Treaty a 'huge leap forward' for marine conservation

Environmental groups are welcoming the High Seas Treaty. (Supplied: Jess Wohling)

Australian conservationists and researchers are celebrating the agreement of an international treaty they say will help protect the world's oceans.

The legally binding pact to ensure the sustainable use of the ocean and conserve marine biodiversity, led by the United Nations and debated for 15 years, was agreed on in New York on Saturday.