The United States, as a marine superpower, must ratify the high seas biodiversity treaty now

In 2023, governments adopted an agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, known as the BBNJ agreement (see go.nature.com/4fehwo7). This agreement is essential to define and enforce the target laid down in the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Framework to protect at least 30% of coastal and marine areas, including the high seas. So far, the agreement has 105 signatories, including the United States, China and the European Union. To enter into force, however, at least 60 ratifications are needed; there are currently only 14.