In December 2025, NGO WILDTRUST’s Samkelisiwe Danisa and Lauren van Nijkerk from South Africa, engaged with around 100 representatives of African states, relevant global, regional and subregional organisations and civil society, in Ethiopia at the Regional Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement Workshop. This gathering advanced growing engagement around the BBNJ Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty, which is designed to protect the abundant marine life and ecosystems in international waters that lie beyond any country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The BBNJ Agreement provides the first comprehensive legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity for the two-thirds of the ocean that is largely unprotected. The BBNJ Agreement has recently reached the milestone of ratification by the 60 UN Member States, required to trigger its entry into force on 17 January 2026.
Over the past few years, proposals for the development of a large high seas marine protected area (MPA) in the western Indian Ocean subantarctic have emerged to connect and protect the unique, important and threatened biodiversity and natural features around the distant Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen and Heard and MacDonald Islands belonging to South Africa, France and Australia. To further develop this concept, in June 2025, on the sidelines of the third meeting of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, a workshop was held to discuss the feasibility and transboundary collaborations for establishing and implementing a high seas MPA linking subantarctic MPAs in the waters of South African, France, and Australia. The workshop was co-hosted by the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and the French Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB).
In August 2025, building on the momentum from these discussions, over 70 experts, scientists and practitioners from diverse disciplines—biology, conservation, fisheries, and ocean modelling— gathered in Cape Town, South Africa for the Pelagic High Seas Ocean Ecoregionalisation of the Indian Subantarctic (PHOCIS) workshop. The PHOCIS project, led by Professor Philippe Koubbi of Sorbonne University in France, with support from OFB, is an international scientific initiative that unites government agencies, NGOs, and universities that study the distribution of marine biodiversity, oceanographic features, and governance structures to support conservation in the subantarctic Indian Ocean.
These discussions were further reinforced at the policy level in early December 2025 at the Regional Workshop on the BBNJ Agreement for African States held in Ethiopia. Government and civil society representatives from across Africa convened to examine key implementation pillars of the agreement, including environmental impact assessments (EIAs), capacity building, and the transfer of marine technology. Cross-cutting issues, such as financial resource mechanisms, compliance, and area-based management tools (ABMTs) were also explored alongside discussions on how biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction can inform effective conservation planning – all within the context of the BBNJ agreement entering into force on 17January 2026.
Honourable Judge Thembile Joyini from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea delivered an insightful presentation on the persistent lack of access to marine genetic resources for many African states, and pathways to address this challenge. Drawing on his experience as part of the African Union delegation at the BBNJ negotiations, Joyini emphasised the importance of African states taking action to ratify the BBNJ Agreement to secure a seat at the decision-making table.
“A few sessions unpacked the supporting activities for becoming parties and for implementation of the BBNJ Agreement,” commented Lauren van Nijkerk, director of campaigns at the southern African NGO, WILDTRUST. “Several organisations and states shared practical examples of how to move the implementation of BBNJ forward. It was also reassuring to note several financial grants and funding opportunities for African states and organisations to underwrite ratification and implementation activities.”
The central role of science in underpinning effective implementation was echoed throughout the workshop. Dr Arthur Tuda, executive director of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), highlighted the region’s growing scientific capacity and shared the need to build a strong foundation of science at the core of BBNJ.
“We have 1,200 scientists in our network and 60% are early career ocean professionals (ECOPS) who are trained and retained within the region,” Tuda said. “Our Women in Science and Early Career Science Programs are core networks contributing towards the success of BBNJ.”
Together, the three workshops underscored the critical need for strong science–policy linkages to ensure that scientific evidence translates into effective conservation and sustainable use measures. They also reinforced the importance of area-based management tools and MPAs, vital for protecting species and ecosystems that are out of sight, yet indispensable. Achieving this level of protection requires a collaborative approach grounded in science, effective governance, and shared responsibility, including a collective effort to manage ocean spaces beyond national jurisdiction.
“We are hopeful that South Africa will join the other 78 countries that have now ratified the BBNJ Agreement, and that the proposed High Seas MPA linking subantarctic island territories in the western Indian Ocean will be one of the first-generation High Seas MPAs to be established”, commented van Nijkerk. “We are grateful to our partners and funders including Oceans 5, Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative and Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy for helping us build this exciting momentum for the ocean and ultimately her people.”
