Editorial | Governance of the high seas

As a small island state Jamaica has a vested interest in the good health of the world oceans, including areas outside of its territorial waters.

The logic is obvious.

There are no physical barriers between the high seas and the island’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or its 12-mile territorial limit. None can be erected.

Moreover, a great portion of Jamaica’s economic and social existence revolves about the sea - tourism, food, recreation. If the oceans go bad and further threaten the island’s survival, there is not much space for retreat.

That is why, like the Jamaican government, this newspaper welcomes last week’s entry into force of, to give it its formal title, the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) - a pact under the UN’s Law of the Sea Convention that commits nations, individually and together, to protect the health of the world’s oceans beyond their EEZs and the species within them. That is two-thirds of the world’s oceans.

“Jamaica welcomes this next chapter in global ocean governance,” said the island’s foreign minister, Kamina Johnson Smith. “In recent years, Jamaica has been expanding our commitments to ocean sustainability, including the protection of territorial waters and a growing focus on blue economy initiatives such as sustainable fisheries, coastal resilience and marine ecosystem restoration.

“The BBNJ Agreement adds a new layer, particularly in areas like scientific cooperation and equitable benefit-sharing.”

PRACTICAL ACTION

The issue is for Jamaica to translate stated commitments into practical action. Already, the government says that a quarter of the island’s land mass is formally protected and that it is on track to meet the UN target of 30 per cent by 2030.

We applaud the initiatives. But the present and emerging circumstances demand more than ticking boxes.

There must now be robust enforcement of rules - on land and sea - and collaboration with regional partners to ensure the sustainability of the seas around the Caribbean. Having spearheaded the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) negotiations of the BBNJ, Jamaica should take the lead in promoting and crafting mechanisms for the shared protection, and governance, in the oceans closest to their territories.

There are many issues to attend to.

Strains on the marine ecosystem are mounting, driven by climate change, pollution, overfishing and habitat degradation. These need to be stemmed, and wherever possible, reversed.

The Marine Biodiversity Treaty offers Jamaica and its Caribbean neighbours and partners a framework for acting together on these matters and to ensure the sustainable use of the oceans around them.

ALIGNING

In addition to what it does on a regional basis, Jamaica must begin by aligning domestic law with treaty obligations. So, environmental impact assessments, marine area management and benefit-sharing frameworks must be codified, adequately funded and enforced. Mainstreaming marine conservation across the government ministries and agencies is essential and will be far-reaching.

Regionally, CARICOM should collaborate with other regional states in creating marine protected areas, harmonising fisheries management, and pooling scientific data and enforcement resources. These should be underpinned by a legally binding framework.

Such an arrangement would lessen overlapping pressures, strengthen bargaining power for technical assistance, and ensure that the high seas are governed in ways that conform with, and are conducive to, the region’s priorities.

For Jamaica and the CARICOM, this treaty should present opportunities to strengthen scientific collaboration, technology access and longer-term investment in marine research and monitoring.

Jamaica must lead by example in preserving the seas.