A green sea turtle coming ashore to nest on the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea may seem an unlikely starting point for discussing an international treaty. Yet, this turtle's survival depends on what happens far beyond the beach, highlighting a critical issue in ecological conservation: ecosystems cross boundaries that governance systems often cannot.
On Jan 17 this year, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty, entered into force. This legally binding framework aims to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The high seas cover roughly two-thirds of the ocean.
The treaty provides for marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments, equitable sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources and capacity-building initiatives. These components form a framework for action, but their lasting impact will depend on how countries implement them.
The Xisha Islands were once among the most important nesting grounds for green sea turtles in China. However, overfishing and habitat loss led to a sharp decline in their numbers.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence in the number of nests due to enhanced local protection. Infrared cameras track nesting activity, while a rescue and conservation center, along with a field research station, conducts long-term observation. Local fishermen participate in patrols across various islands and reefs.
These efforts illustrate the essentials of sustained conservation: scientific monitoring, institutional support and local knowledge. Fishermen are not just helping enforce restrictions but also participating in the protection of marine resources their livelihoods depend on. Giving communities a meaningful role can make conservation more durable, particularly when their daily lives are intertwined with the ecosystems they help preserve.
However, reviving a nesting ground alone cannot protect a turtle throughout its life. Green sea turtles travel between nesting beaches, feeding grounds and ocean corridors, encountering different threats along the way.
Protecting a beach in Xisha will be futile if the waters along a turtle's migratory route remain poorly managed. The conservation efforts near the shore and the rules governing the high seas are therefore interconnected.
The BBNJ Agreement cannot just extend local management practices to international waters. The high seas don't have settled communities that can organize routine patrols, and no single country is responsible for their comprehensive management.
Still, experience gained along the coast can help inform how the treaty is implemented.
Community participation is a lesson worth extending. The Agreement's provisions on capacity-building and marine technology transfer are crucial for developing countries, where the ability to participate in marine research and conservation varies widely.
While providing equipment and training is important, it is not sufficient. Fishermen, coastal communities and local institutions can offer ecological insights, collect data and influence decisions that affect their livelihoods.
On Beigang Island in Hainan province, China, villagers who once made a living by gathering resources from tidal flats have been trained as ecological guides. Volunteers take part in benthic surveys and explain horseshoe crab and mangrove conservation to visitors.
Though rooted in a coastal setting, this work demonstrates how local knowledge and scientific research can complement each other, giving communities a direct stake in environmental protection.
Sound decisions also require reliable evidence. Long-term monitoring enables researchers to track changes in marine ecosystems, assess the effectiveness of conservation efforts and adapt measures as conditions evolve. However, research and monitoring capabilities are uneven across the high seas.
China's voluntary fishing moratoria in select squid grounds in the Southwest Atlantic and eastern Pacific exemplify management paired with resource monitoring. A fishing moratorium differs from a marine protected area, and the two are not interchangeable. Both, however, rely on evidence about marine resources and the willingness to adjust management based on that evidence.
This approach will be crucial as countries develop area-based management tools and environmental impact assessments under the BBNJ Agreement.
The location and design of protected areas are also crucial. Marine life does not remain within the boundaries drawn on a map, so effective protection must account for migratory routes and the wider ecosystems that sustain species.
China's experience in habitat restoration, species rescue and identifying ecological corridors may offer practical insights for designing protected areas on the high seas. The challenge is to build a network that reflects ecological connections, rather than treating each protected area as an isolated patch.
This experience is also relevant to Xiamen, Fujian province, which China has proposed as a candidate for hosting the BBNJ Secretariat. Xiamen's candidacy is based not only on its coastal location but also on its achievements in mangrove restoration, Chinese white dolphin conservation, integrated coastal management, and marine research and international cooperation platforms.
Institutions such as the BRICS Marine Sustainable Development Research Center could help connect research with international cooperation on marine protection and the blue economy.
Xiamen could also facilitate access to technical expertise and practical training for developing countries.
Hosting the Secretariat would not automatically improve high seas governance, and coastal experience cannot simply be transplanted to international waters.
The opportunity for Xiamen lies in what it could contribute to the Secretariat's work: fostering closer ties between researchers and policymakers, sharing effective approaches and helping countries build the capacity to fulfill their commitments. Its value would ultimately depend on whether these connections yield practical results.
The BBNJ Agreement marks an important step, but a treaty can protect marine life only when its provisions are translated into sustained action. A turtle nesting on a Xisha beach and a marine protected area on the high seas may seem worlds apart.
Yet, their connections are both ecological and political. Protecting marine biodiversity requires acknowledging these connections and ensuring that cooperation, scientific evidence and local experience inform decisions made far beyond the shore.
The author is a chair professor and dean of the College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, and chief scientist of Fujian Ocean Innovation Center.
The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
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