Delegates from over 190 countries have signed a historic treaty creating legally binding safeguards for international waters.

Following two weeks of intensive negotiations, international environmental delegates formally ratified a comprehensive ocean treaty. The accord mandates the creation of high-seas marine sanctuaries covering thirty percent of the planets international waters by 2030.

Marine biologists celebrate the agreement as crucial for preserving marine biodiversity, curbing illegal deep-sea dredging, and restoring depleted oceanic fisheries.