two thirds of the planet s oceans are classed as international waters or high seas . that means any country has the right to fish, sail or carry out research there. scientists say less than 2% of these seas are protected, leaving large swathes vulnerable to over fishing, deep sea mining and climate change. the un high seas treaty would aim to change that. if agreed, it would put 30% of the world s oceans into conservation areas by 2030. but it has already been four previous rounds of negotiations earlier, we heard from the un s under secretary general, miguel de serpa soares, who is leading the conference. the dire state of the ocean means that the time to act is now. and what better way to signal our determination to act than finalising a robust agreement that ensures
this serves their interest because it s about the health of the oceans. we need more fish in the sea. we ve seen overfishing decimate notjust the fish we rely on for food, but also faeces like whales, sharks. species like. so a treaty like this will only help their interest, and i suppose the other thing i would say is that we need groups like the european union and countries like the uk to really prioritise diplomacy with iceland. are they trying to persuade them? that s what we would like to see. you trying to persuade them? that s what we would like to see. we would like to see. you touched u on this we would like to see. you touched upon this apathy. we would like to see. you touched upon this apathy, may we would like to see. you touched upon this apathy, may be - we would like to see. you touched upon this apathy, may be lack- we would like to see. you touched upon this apathy, may be lack of. upon this apathy, may be lack of understanding when it comes to the oceans. is
they re trying to agree on a treaty that would protect large swathes of it from over fishing and other forms of exploitation. the un high seas treaty has been through ten years of negotiations but has yet to be signed. and a deal is needed urgently. two thirds of the planet s oceans are considered international waters or high seas. which means any country has the right to fish, sail or carry out research there. only one point 2% of these high seas are protected. under the treaty 30% of all oceans would be turned into conservation areas by the year 2030. let s talk with liz karan, project director of the high seas conservation programme at the pew charitable trusts and an observer at the talks in new york. how have the talks been going? thank you for having me. negotiations started this morning and i think so far it s been a very encouraging start. a very fruitful beginning to
lawless wilderness. these waters don t come under any state s jurisdiction but cover nearly half of the earth s surface and are hugely vulnerable to threats such as over fishing, deep sea mining and climate change. if agreed, a un high seas treaty would put 30 per cent of oceans into conservation areas by the end of the decade but four previous attempts have failed. for more on this, i m joined now byjon copley, who is a deep sea biologist and professor of ocean exploration at the university of southampton. just explain to our viewers how serious the risks are in the oceans right now if nothing is done to address these threats? iron oceans are under increasing threats such as climate change. all the climate change we ve added from