Protection Efforts in 2025

Global Ocean protection is advancing, with marine protected areas now covering 8.34% of the Ocean, but urgent action is still needed to reach common targets. Milestones such as the UN High Seas Treaty, progress on plastic pollution agreements, and a growing focus on equity and Ocean literacy are driving significant momentum towards stronger and more sustainable Ocean governance.
Opportunities For HumanityOcean State
Opportunities For HumanityOcean State

Protected areas now cover 8.34% of the globe - still far from the 30% target.

Over the past decade, the global coverage of MPAs has increased significantly, from 3.72% of the global Ocean in 2015 to 8.34% in 2024 (corresponding to 30.238 million of km2, but still far from the 30 × 30 target (protecting 30% of the coastal and marine waters by 2030. While 19% of national waters (39% of the Ocean) are protected, just 1.45% of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (61% of the global Ocean) have protection. Between 2023 and 2024, the surface covered by MPAs increased only by 0.007%. Globally, one in four MPAs exist only on paper and an additional third fails to truly support conservation goals. Only a third of the global coverage of MPAs is fully or highly protected. Ensuring that the global network of MPAs delivers its expected benefits for climate, biodiversity, and food security requires not only achieving the 30% coverage target, but also increasing the level of protection within MPAs.

Multilateral ocean governance advances, highlighted by 31 ratifications of the High Seas Treaty.

In 2024, the UN High Seas Treaty entered a critical phase with national ratifications and implementation planning. As of May 2025, 31 countries had ratified the treaty* (High Seas Alliance, 2025). This treaty aims to promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions (BBNJ) — covering nearly two thirds of the Ocean — including via capacity building, transfer of marine technology and equitable sharing of the benefits of marine genetic resources. In 2024, new global guidelines were adopted to strengthen sustainable fisheries management by improving transparency, combating IUU fishing, restricting catch limits, and expanding AI-powered satellite monitoring. 2024 also saw major advancements in blue carbon initiatives and marine renewable energy. In March 2022, a resolution was adopted by the UN to end plastic pollution through a legally binding agreement. In July 2023, the International Maritime Organization adopted a new climate strategy targeting a 40% cut in carbon intensity from international shipping by 2030, alongside a push for at least 5% of the sector’s energy to come from zero or near-zero emission fuels and technologies. In 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea issued a landmark opinion, addressing States’ obligations to protect the Ocean from climate change impacts within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). *Update from the scientific report as of June 7, 2025.

Equity rises as a driving force in global ocean conservation, climate and sustainable development.

Equity is increasingly recognized as an enabler of environmental sustainability, economic development, and global stability. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) explicitly introduces equity in the Aichi Target 11 and in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Equity is a core principle of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Since 2021, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development has supported equitable access to ocean knowledge and capacity building. Equity is now central in sustainable planning efforts. Grassroots resistance efforts led by coastal communities have successfully stopped unfair exposure to environmental harms and preserved their livelihoods.

Ocean literacy is gaining global momentum with unprecedented growth in educational activities.

Ocean Literacy is becoming a key pillar of Ocean and coastal management and policy. Since 2021, 418 ocean literacy activities and 27 projects have been endorsed under the UN Decade of Ocean Science. In 2024, the release of the Venice declaration offers a global framework for ocean literacy.