For decades, vast stretches of ocean beyond national borders have been governed by patchwork rules and weak oversight. On Saturday, that changes. The High Seas Treaty enters into force, creating the first legally binding global framework to protect marine life in international waters that span nearly half the planet.
Known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, the treaty gives countries a shared legal toolbox to conserve and manage the parts of the ocean that belong to nobody.
