International Community Commits to Ambitious Ocean Conservation at UN Conference in Nice
The United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice has concluded, with a sense of satisfaction among its participants, particularly German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider. “The High Seas are not the Wild West” he emphasized, “and even there, rules apply for the protection of our shared environment.” The conference, he said, had made significant progress in ocean conservation, despite the challenging geopolitical backdrop.
More countries than ever before have taken a clear stance against deep-sea mining, as the potential harm is still not well understood, Schneider explained. The minister also highlighted the development of a new cooperation with partner countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America to jointly establish and propose marine protected areas on the high seas.
The next important milestone in ocean conservation is set to take place in August, when a new agreement to combat plastic pollution in the world’s oceans will be negotiated, the minister added.
The adoption of the “Nizza Marine Action Plan” has committed the international community to ambitious ocean conservation efforts.