Protection Efforts in 2026

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2026 2025
Global Ocean protection is advancing, with marine protected areas now covering 10.01% of the Ocean, but urgent action is still needed to meet global targets. Milestones such as the entry into force of the UN High Seas Treaty, the World Trade Organisation’s ban on harmful fisheries subsidies, and the adoption of stronger protection for sharks and rays are driving significant momentum towards a healthier, more sustainable Ocean.  
Opportunities For HumanityOcean State
Opportunities For HumanityOcean State

Marine protected areas cover 10.01% of the global Ocean, with 3.2% fully or highly protected.

Global Ocean protection has reached the 10% milestone but remains far from the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target to conserve 30% of marine and coastal areas by 2030. Marine Protected Area (MPA) coverage has increased from 8.34% in 2024 to 10.01% of the global Ocean in mid-2026. The global Ocean can be divided into areas within national jurisdiction, and international waters beyond national jurisdiction. A total of 22.54% of national waters and 1.45% of international waters are designated as MPAs. Actively managed MPAs, with evidence of monitoring and enforcement, have more positive ecological outcomes than those that are only designated. Despite this recent progress, the extent of effectively protected areas remains limited at the global scale, and their outcomes depend on implementation, monitoring, and broader enabling conditions, such as governance arrangements and incentive structures: 3.2% of the Ocean is fully or highly protected.

Major in-situ Ocean observing systems are shrinking, reducing ocean protection capacity. 

Effective protection requires sustained measurement to anticipate risks and respond effectively. The number of in-situ Ocean observations on the physical and chemical state of the Ocean is estimated at 120,000 per day in 2025. This number is primarily driven by autonomous networks such as drifting buoys with high-frequency observations. The number of Argo profiling floats reached 4,166 in December 2025. Some major networks such as moored buoys and ship-based observations are shrinking since the pandemic. Part of the observation decline is due to global budget constraints, reduced ship-time and reduced number of experienced personnel, reflecting broader constraints on ocean science capacity. Taken together this threatens international Ocean science and diplomacy. Ocean observing is a critical infrastructure for climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, Ocean health, sustainable development, and economic stability. They are the feeding ground for operational systems to monitor and forecast changing Ocean conditions. 

Two international Ocean treaties have entered into force

Global governance of the high-seas has gained momentum with the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) entering into force on 17 January 2026. This treaty provides a shared legal framework to protect and govern the 61% of the Ocean beyond national jurisdiction. It sets the foundation for establishing marine protected areas in international waters, for environmental impact assessments, for fairer rules for sharing benefits from marine genetic resources, and for giving a voice to indigenous and local communities and ensuring equity through capacity building and technology transfer. A treaty to ban harmful fisheries subsidies came into force in September 2025. This treaty prohibits government support to illegal fishing activities, a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks and human trafficking. It commits members of the World Trade Organization to curbing billions of dollars in annual spending on the most harmful subsidies. Subsidies that lower the cost of fishing can fuel overfishing and illegal fishing where management is weak. An estimated 65% of government fisheries support carries this risk.

Stronger international protections for sharks and rays adopted. 

A decision regarding international trade protections for several marine species was adopted by parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in December 2025. Oceanic whitetip sharks, whale sharks, and manta and devil rays were upgraded to the highest levels of protection, taking a significant step toward curbing the over-exploitation of these vulnerable marine species. Wedgefishes and giant guitarfish were assigned zero export quotas, effectively halting all legal international trade in these wild-caught species. Gulper, tope, and smooth-hound sharks were listed for the first time under CITES trade controls. Trade bans do not stop overexploitation and illegal trade but contribute to closing major loopholes in the global fin, meat, and cartilage trades that drive population collapses. To date, international commercial trade is highly restricted or prohibited for more than 1,500 marine species under CITES (e.g. corals, giant clams, seahorses).