SER-Europe welcomes the entry into force of the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), known as the High Seas Treaty. The Treaty establishes, for the first time, a global legal framework to protect biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The high seas cover approximately 65% of the ocean and nearly half of the planet’s surface. They regulate climate, store carbon, and sustain marine systems that support life worldwide. These waters contain 95% of the ocean’s volume, yet until now they have remained largely beyond effective protection.
With the Treaty’s entry into force on 17 January 2026, governments now have concrete tools to strengthen ocean governance at scale.
What the Treaty Enables
The High Seas Treaty allows governments to:
- Establish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in international waters
- Require environmental impact assessments before industrial activities
- Regulate marine genetic resources and ensure equitable benefit-sharing
- Support capacity building and marine technology transfer
These measures reduce pressures on marine ecosystems. Within the restorative continuum, protection and pressure reduction are foundational steps that enable ecological restoration. The restorative continuum encompasses a range of interventions, from pressure reduction to active restoration, that support ecosystem recovery and address landscape fragmentation. See more SER Standards tools including the Restorative Continuum here.
The Treaty also creates new opportunities to safeguard vulnerable offshore ecosystems, including seamounts, underwater mountains that host high biodiversity and remain especially sensitive to disturbance. European initiatives such as the REDRESS project are advancing the scientific and technical foundations needed to restore degraded deep-sea habitats. Through its role in REDRESS, SER-Europe supports the development of standards-based approaches to deep-sea restoration, helping connect global high seas governance with practical implementation and ecological recovery.
Relevance for Europe
The European Union and 16 Member States have ratified the Treaty, contributing to 82 ratifications secured since its adoption in 2023. With 145 countries having signed the agreement, global momentum toward high seas governance is clear.
For Europe, the Treaty complements existing marine policy frameworks and supports progress toward the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. It reinforces the need for implementation capacity, monitoring systems, and standards-based approaches to marine protection and restoration.
As industrial activity expands into deeper waters, governance must be matched with scientific guidance and long-term stewardship.
Implications for Ecological Restoration
Protection is not restoration. However, restoration cannot occur without protection.
By enabling MPAs and environmental impact assessments in international waters, the Treaty creates the conditions necessary for degraded ecosystems to recover. Reduced disturbance allows ecological processes to re-establish, strengthening biodiversity, food webs, and climate resilience.
The governance framework is now in place. The priority shifts to effective implementation, monitoring, and adaptive management.
In alignment with this High Seas Treaty, SER-Europe’s Marine Restoration Working Group will continue contributing expertise on marine ecosystem restoration (MER) science, practice, and policy to support biodiversity recovery, strengthen climate resilience, and promote ecologically sound relationships between marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
A Turning Point for Ocean Recovery
As Sahar Stevenson-Jones, SER-Europe, Marine Restoration Project Officer noted:
“The entry into force of the High Seas Treaty marks a turning point for ocean restoration. For the first time, global law creates the conditions for degraded ecosystems in nearly half of the planet to recover and thrive. This Treaty is not just about protection—it is about giving the ocean space to recover and strengthen resilience against future change. The task now is to translate this legal milestone into ambitious, well-managed action that delivers real restoration in the deep sea.”
The Treaty establishes the legal foundation. Achieving ecological outcomes will require coordinated implementation, scientific rigor, and sustained international collaboration. For the restoration community, this represents an important step toward enabling ecosystem recovery at ocean scale.