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Cabinet officials

India Ratifies BBNJ Agreement, Proposes Initiatives for Ocean Conservation

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

India is committing to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, as Union minister of state for earth sciences Jitendra Singh announced the ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty. This move underscores India's dedication to preserving marine ecosystems and comes alongside six strategic initiatives proposed to conserve oceans. These initiatives focus on advancing marine research, expanding marine protected areas, reducing marine pollution, and integrating coastal communities into policy frameworks. Additionally, India has launched the Deep Ocean Mission to map biodiversity within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and develop marine spatial planning. The country has also participated in the Space for Ocean Alliance (S4O) event to leverage space tech and data for oceans.

Key Takeaways:

  • India has signed the BBNJ Agreement and is currently in the process of ratification, committing to preserve marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
  • The country has proposed six strategic initiatives to conserve oceans, including advancing marine research, expanding marine protected areas, reducing marine pollution, and integrating coastal communities into policy frameworks.
  • India has launched the Deep Ocean Mission, a pilot project of Blue Economy, which aims to understand, map, and protect the biodiversity within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and develop marine spatial planning.
  • The country has participated in the Space for Ocean Alliance (S4O) event, leveraging space tech and data for oceans and shaping global ocean indicators in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
  • India has extended support to the 'Nice Ocean Action Plan', prioritizing actionable outcomes, innovative financing, and inclusive partnerships to achieve SDG-14.
  • The UNOC is the most ambitious environmental conference after the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, representing a historic opportunity to establish a binding global framework for ocean conservation.

Statistics:

  • India's coastline spreads over 11,098km.
  • The country has more than 1,300 islands and a total of 2.1 million square km of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
  • The Deep Ocean Mission aims to understand and map the biodiversity within India's EEZ, covering over 2.1 million square kilometers.
  • India has undertaken numerous awareness campaigns along the coast, including the 'Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar' campaign to reduce the impact of marine debris on coastal biodiversity and encourage eco-friendly habits.

Sources:

  • Hindustan Times, June 10 (no date or timestamp).
  • Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France.
  • Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences.
  • United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3).

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