Australia has become one of the first countries to sign the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty that aims to conserve oceans through stronger protection laws.

The treaty enforces the protection of marine biodiversity on the high seas that are not officially owned by any country, as they are 200 nautical miles away from shore.

The announcement was made early Thursday morning by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Wong, who is currently at The United Nations General Assembly in New York, said the historic agreement will see greater protection for the world’s oceans.

“Australia is working to ratify the treaty and bring it into force as soon as possible,” she said.

Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek joined Wong in saying that the nation is proud to be a founding signatory of the treaty.

“Australians know how important marine protected areas are in our own country – sanctuaries for marine life to grow and flourish,” she said.

“This treaty puts a framework in place to establish Marine Protected Areas in the high seas, leading to stronger protections for oceans around the world.”

While only one percent of oceans are currently protected, the treaty aims to increase this to 30 percent by 2030.

“Our oceans need stronger environmental protections world-wide and this will help to deliver that,” Plibersek said.

Over the next three years, Australia is set to deliver $3 million through the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner to encourage Pacific countries to sign.

The treaty was first announced in March aiming to manage global fisheries, decrease threats of pollution and manage the environmental impacts of planned activities.

Photo: Hon. Penny Wong by NCCARF available HERE and used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.