Protect the neglected half of our blue planet

Maintaining momentum is crucial as nations build a treaty to safeguard the high seas, argue Glen Wright, Julien Rochette, Kristina M. Gjerde and Lisa A. Levin. At the close of 2017, 14 million UK viewers tuned into the acclaimed second series of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, making it the year’s most-watched television show. It brought the wonders of the ocean into people’s living rooms and captured the public imagination as never before. Now is the time to capitalize on this enthusiasm, and to advocate for strong, legally binding protections for the high seas — the almost two-thirds of our planet’s ocean that are beyond the control of any one state (see ‘Neglected waters’)[...]