By Faridat Salifu
At the High-Level Side Event on “Raising Ambition & Accelerating Actions to Protect High Seas Biodiversity,” held on monday in Cali, Colombia, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako emphasized the urgent need to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
Speaking at the Nature Positive Pavilion during COP16, he called for immediate actions to accelerate the ratification of the BBNJ agreement and to fast-track proposals for establishing the first generation of highly and fully protected marine protected areas (MPAs) in the high seas.
Dr. Salako expressed Nigeria’s support for the “BBNJ First Movers” initiative launched by Chile, which he noted would enhance the regional coordination efforts within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He underscored the importance of collaboration in protecting global ocean resources, stating, “Designating highly and fully protected MPAs in the high seas is no small task, but we are ready to tackle it together.”
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He revealed that ECOWAS is developing a regional roadmap for proposing protected areas along the African coast, a process initiated during a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, in November 2023.
Looking ahead, ECOWAS will host the 6th International Congress on Marine Protected Areas (IMPAC 6) in Senegal in 2027, where concrete proposals for high-seas MPAs will be announced.
Currently, nine out of fifteen ECOWAS countries, including Ivory Coast, have signed the BBNJ treaty and are working towards its ratification.
Dr. Salako expressed optimism that Nigeria would ratify the treaty by the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in June 2025, acknowledging the challenges ahead but affirming a commitment to play an active role in its implementation.
He urged attendees to develop robust proposals for establishing MPAs that cover at least 30% of the planet’s oceans and called for technical and financial support to accelerate these efforts. “Establishing fully and highly protected marine areas is a shared responsibility,” he stated, inviting all stakeholders to join in actualizing this vision for ocean conservation.
