Nice, France, June 10: A fleet of scientific and exploration vessels sailed across the Bay of Angels off the French Riviera on Sunday to launch the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), coinciding with World Oceans Day and highlighting the urgent need to safeguard the world’s marine ecosystems.
Thousands of delegates, including heads of state, environmental advocates, and marine scientists, are attending the conference in Nice, which runs until June 13. Themed “Ocean Wonders,” the event aims to confront rising threats such as warming waters, plastic pollution, and overfishing, while accelerating global efforts to protect ocean biodiversity.
“The High Seas Treaty is critical to ensuring we can protect biodiversity in the ocean,” said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, referring to the international agreement adopted in 2023. “We’re in the middle of a biodiversity and climate crisis.”
The treaty, which is yet to be ratified, would allow countries for the first time to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) in international waters, which cover nearly two-thirds of the global ocean and remain largely unregulated.
Currently, only 2.7% of the world’s oceans are effectively protected from harmful practices such as industrial fishing and deep-sea mining, well below the target of protecting 30% of marine areas by 2030.
Participating vessels in the ceremonial sail included the Energy Observer, the first zero-emissions ship to circumnavigate the globe using only renewable energy, and the Alfred Merlin, a French ship specializing in underwater archaeology. Other ships included the OceanXplorer, a high-tech private research vessel, and WWF’s Blue Panda, which is mapping seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean.
Despite increasing declarations of MPAs by many nations, including France, enforcement has been widely criticized as inadequate. “The ambition is not there, the speed is not there, and the scale has not been there,” said Sílvia Tavares of the Oceano Azul Foundation. “Moments like UNOC are key to changing that.”
Several countries are expected to announce new marine reserves and restrictions on destructive fishing practices during the weeklong summit. The participating fleet will remain docked in Nice and open to the public until the conclusion of the conference.
