The treaty will create a new body to manage conservation of ocean life and establish marine protected areas (MPAs) in the high seas. The new High Seas Treaty addresses many of the governance gaps that have plagued the ocean, setting out clearer ways to conserve biodiversity in the high seas.This historic treaty will enable international efforts to protect biodiversity on the high seas, the ocean areas outside of national waters. This historic agreement offers the global community an opportunity to protect some of the abundant marine life and ecosystems in the twothirds of the ocean. 2024 was a year that might as well have been a decade.