Greenpeace calls for urgent ocean protection at UN biodiversity summit

Greenpeace is calling for increased international cooperation to protect vulnerable ecosystems in international waters as a UN biodiversity summit begins in Yerevan, Armenia. The organization emphasizes the need to meet a UN treaty goal of protecting at least 30 percent of the oceans by 2030.

Currently, nearly 10 percent of the oceans have protected status, with approximately 3.5 percent classified as fully or strongly protected. Greenpeace argues that existing measures are insufficient and advocates for a network of interconnected marine reserves that account for ocean currents and animal migration routes.

A Greenpeace report notes that more than 800 marine species migrate through both national and international waters. The survival of these species, including humpback whales and leatherback turtles, depends on safety throughout their entire migration routes rather than just in specific feeding or breeding grounds. The organization has proposed eleven new protected zones, primarily in the Atlantic Ocean, to mitigate risks from industrial activities such as shipping and fishing.