After decades of negotiation, the high seas treaty is finally reality. First adopted by the United Nations in 2023, the treaty was officially ratified by the required 60 countries on Friday. This historic agreement will pave the way to protect international waters — Earth’s least-governed ecosystems — which face numerous threats from overfishing , deep sea mining , climate change and pollution . “This is a major win for our oceans and all of us who depend on them,” said Monica Medina, Arnhold Fellow at Conservation International. “The high seas belong both to no one and all of us. We have the rare chance to stop the loss of nature before we lose it forever.” The high seas — waters beyond any nation’s jurisdiction — cover nearly two-thirds of Earth’s ocean, yet only 1 percent is protected. This vast and largely unexplored expanse holds more than 90 percent of ocean habitat and some of the planet’s richest biodiversity .…