The UK government has introduced a landmark bill to protect two-thirds of the world’s ocean, a key source of food and oxygen for people in the UK and all over the world. This marks a major step forward in global efforts to protect marine life and ecosystems beyond national borders.

In 2023, the UK signed up to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement – often referred to as the High Seas Treaty. Having played a leading role in shaping the Treaty over more than a decade of negotiations, the UK was among the first countries to sign the agreement. The bill turns that commitment into action, as the UK joins countries across the globe who have supported the major international treaty.

With the ocean a key source of the world’s food and oxygen, the Agreement will help deliver security for the UK, in line with the government’s Plan for Change. For the first time, the BBNJ Agreement will create a legal mechanism to set up protected zones in areas beyond national jurisdiction, helping to protect marine life and habitats in parts of the ocean that have previously been vulnerable to overuse and exploitation.