The largest, least-protected places on our blue planet are found
in the high seas – the open ocean and deep seabed areas that lie
beyond national jurisdictions. They cover about 45% of the
Earth’s surface, and 64% of the oceans. Belonging to no single
nation, they have been, for too long, neglected by all. The high
seas are home to great whales, sea turtles, seabirds, tunas, and
sharks that traverse entire ocean basins in search of food. They
house deep-dwelling fishes and invertebrate animals that live
long, slow-motion lives in eternal darkness. High seas
biodiversity is threatened by fishing, climate change and other
human-caused impacts. These losses are also our losses, as they
threaten the ability of the oceans to sustain marine life and
support human societies. The global community, through the
United Nations, has decided that key high seas ecosystems should
be protected. Both the Convention on Biological Diversity and
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization have developed criteria
to identify ecologi