Abstract
The aim of this article is to explore the implications for Arctic marine science of the treaty that is being negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) from the perspective of the necessary institutional arrangements. Given that the institutional architecture will be crucial to the successful implementation of the resulting treaty, this article examines the approaches to institutional arrangements as they relate to the discussions leading to the commencement of the BBNJ intergovernmental conference, developments at the intergovernmental conference, and their implications for Arctic marine science. The Arctic perspective is of particular interest because Arctic States and other States with significant interests in the Arctic have been largely skeptical of, and in some cases resistant to, the BBNJ process. This article concludes that although the BBNJ treaty negotiations provide a challenge to regional, sectoral, and national actors in the Arctic, they also provide an opportunity for these actors if the resulting treaty includes robust institutional arrangements that create mechanisms for greater integration and coordination of marine science, particularly Arctic marine science.
Highlights
The aim of this article is to explore the implications for Arctic marine science of the treaty that is being negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) from the perspective of the necessary institutional arrangements
Given the ongoing treaty negotiations at the United Nations for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), a question posed by these recent scientific findings is what possible relevance they could have for the BBNJ process and the resulting treaty
Even though the BBNJ treaty negotiations provide a challenge to regional, sectoral, and national actors in the Arctic, they provide an opportunity for these actors if the approach to institutional arrange ments that is employed by the delegations at the Conference – which will most likely be a version of the hybrid approach – results in a robust institutional setup
Summary
One cannot avoid hearing the alarming news on climate change and sea level rise and its catastrophic consequences for the Arctic. BBNJ refers to areas beyond national jurisdiction that cover nearly 64% of the Earth’s surface.[3] These vast marine areas contain some of the world’s rarest marine ecosystems, including seamounts, hydrothermal vents, deep-sea trenches, deep-sea coral reefs, cold seeps and pock marks These ecosystems contain genetic resources that are attracting growing interest for use in a variety of commercial applications, including pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.[4] In addition, areas beyond national jurisdiction provide a wealth of resources and services, including seafood and raw materials, genetic and medicinal resources, air purification, climate regulation, and habitat and cultural services.[5]. This article examines from the perspective of the approaches to institutional arrangements, the long road leading to the commencement of the Con ference (Section 2), developments ( far) at the Conference (Section 3), the role of science at the Conference and its implications for Arctic ocean governance (Section 4), and concluding remarks (Section 5)
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