World leaders are currently updating the laws for international waters that apply to most of the world’s ocean environment. This provides a unique opportunity, marine scientists argue this week, to introduce new techniques that allow protected zones to shift as species move under climate change.
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 69/292 has committed States to develop an international legally binding instrument under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). The instrument must address a ‘package deal’ including questions relating to access and benefit sharing in relation to marine genetic resources (‘MGRs’) in areas beyond national jurisdiction (‘ABNJ’).
While IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee grabs the headlines, shipping has yet to play any role in drafting a new international treaty that could redefine how we use the oceans.
The Pacific Community (SPC) invites applications for the position of Maritime Boundaries Adviser in its Geoscience Division, located at its regional office in Suva, Fiji.