Marine protected areas as of 2020 (data from MPAtlas)

CNN reports that nearly 200 countries have agreed to a legally-binding High Seas Treaty to protect marine life in international waters, which cover around half of the planet’s surface, but have long been essentially lawless.

The agreement was signed on March 4 after two weeks of negotiations at the United Nations headquarters in New York ended in a mammoth final session of more than 36 hours – but it has been two decades in the making.

The last international agreement on ocean protection was signed 40 years ago in 1982 – the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The treaty will provide a legal framework for establishing marine protected areas to protect against the loss of wildlife and share out the genetic resources of the high seas. It also covers environmental assessments to evaluate the potential damage of commercial activities, such as deep sea mining, before they start and a pledge by signatories to share ocean resources.

“This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that in a divided world, protecting nature and people can triumph over geopolitics,” Laura Meller, Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace Nordic, said in a statement.

Only 1.2% of international waters are protected, and only 0.8% are identified as “highly protected.”

A successful treaty “will help us achieve the goal of conserving or protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030,” Monica Medina, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, told CNN by email.

Countries now have to formally adopt and ratify the treaty. Then the work will start to implement the marine sanctuaries and to attempt to meet the target of protecting 30% of global oceans by 2030.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.