By Haydée Rodríguez-Romero, Director of the Coral Reefs of the High Seas Coalition, Conservation International

Beyond the horizon, the high seas stretch across the world, connecting countries, ecosystems, and people. This global commons is critical to our planet’s health – yet a mere 1.5% is currently protected.

This could soon change. The high seas treaty, formally known as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), is now on the verge of entering into force, laying the foundation to create marine protected areas in the shared ocean.

Last month, two years after its adoption, the treaty took the spotlight at the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, where ministers, campaigners, and scientists from around the world gathered to galvanize momentum and push for implementation.

Many nations stepped forward and ratified the Agreement, meaning they are now bound by the treaty. We left Nice with 19 further countries and a total count of 51. Just nine more ratifications are needed, which we anticipate will occur by September. The treaty will then become international law within 120 days, hopefully by January next year.

There were critical gaps overlooked at UNOC3, from insufficient finance to the role of fossil fuels in the ocean’s destruction, but the conference did mark a turning point. Undoubtedly, the wave of commitments for the high seas signals a growing recognition: the ocean’s health is inseparable from our own and its protection cannot wait. This gave me hope.

Ratification is just the beginning though. What happens next will determine whether the treaty lives up to its promise.

One country already leading the way is Chile. An early adopter of the treaty and a leader in ocean conservation, the Chilean Government is setting an important precedent with plans to protect the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges beneath the surface of the South Pacific, outside of territorial waters.

The Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges are underwater mountains that stretch nearly 3,000 kilometers, from the heart of the ocean towards the shores of South America. Teeming with vibrant coral reefs and extraordinary wildlife, they form one of Earth’s last truly wild places, hold profound cultural meaning, and serve as a vital migratory corridor for whales, sharks, and turtles. Human history is also imprinted on the Ridges which served as a voyaging route for Polynesian explorers – people intimately connected with the ocean.

This is a global priority ecosystem, set to be one of the first regions designated as a marine protected area (MPA) under the high seas treaty. Political processes are slow but we need this to happen urgently to protect the Ridges against numerous mounting threats – overfishing, pollution, climate change, and potential deep-sea mining.

At Conservation International, and through the Coral Reefs of the High Seas Coalition, we are working closely with the Government of Chile to make this vision a reality, supporting them to build a case for conservation and connect with Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Recently, Chile hosted a workshop to co-create the proposal for an MPA in the high seas, inviting different government departments as well as communities from Juan Fernández and Rapa Nui.

A significant win was consensus on the critical need to designate the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges as a highly and fully protected area. This is backed by years of scientific research and aligns with their formal designation as an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Two more workshops will follow within the next year, bringing together regional partners and global stakeholders, with the aim of presenting the proposal at one of the first meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the BBNJ Agreement.

There is no denying that the development of any large MPA presents significant challenges and requires answers to difficult questions about the design, management, and funding. But Chile is a true champion of the high seas, seeking to collaborate and create a common vision. We have learned that to succeed, we must think big and we must also think together.

Not only has Chile spearheaded plans to safeguard the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges. It has also established the BBNJ First Movers initiative, with support from Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Palau, and Seychelles, aimed at accelerating the first generation of high seas MPAs.

At home, Chile has already designated over 40% of its national waters for protection – surpassing the commitment to reach 30% by 2030 (30×30) under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), established in 2022. During UNOC3, President of Chile Gabriel Boric announced the expansion of the Nazca-Desventuradas and Mar de Juan Fernández marine parks – two of the world’s largest MPAs, though yet to come into full effect with management plans. Chile’s Minister of Environment Maisa Rojas pledged that protections in national waters will increase to 50%.

This is the kind of leadership we need. Without delay, more countries must follow suit. We are halfway through the decisive decade to 2030 but most governments remain woefully off course to meet the 30×30 target in their waters.

With the majority of the ocean lying beyond national jurisdiction, we have no hope of reaching 30×30 globally without the high seas treaty. We need nine more countries to urgently ratify the BBNJ Agreement. Given the recently exposed huge financing gap for ocean protection – a USD 14.6 billion shortfall every year – all governments must also allocate the necessary resources to implement and effectively manage MPAs.

As Minister Rojas stated during UNOC3, protection makes clear leadership sense. Benefits are interwoven, spanning economics, livelihoods, climate, biodiversity, and culture. Just one example of the tangible, quantifiable benefit is that protecting 30% of the high seas would help conserve carbon sinks worth up to USD 50 billion.

Chile is setting an example that others must learn from. Thinking beyond the short-term political cycle, thinking of future generations.

The high seas are the lifeblood of our planet. Whilst they’re out of sight to most, they must not be out of mind. The task for our leaders is clear: turn promises into action, implement the high seas treaty, and work cooperatively to safeguard priority sites in our shared ocean.