Do you know about the Ocean Treaty and it’s positive impact on sea turtles?

As you may know, Turtle Boots care about turtles by actively driving
change within the industry through managing waste and responsibilities.
All that to protect the ecosystem, and further help with the protection of
these endangered species.

The ocean treaty, known as the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS), is an international agreement establishing the legal
framework that can be used and converted in oceans and their resources
worldwide. The ocean treaty was adopted in 1982 and has since been
ratified by 168 countries, including New Zealand. However, after 10 years
of negotiations, new agreement has been reached by UN aiming to place
30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030, as one of the key impacts
of the ocean treaty is the positive effect on various marine species,
including sea turtles.

At the present, sea turtles are considered one of the most endangered
species globally. The population of turtles have been massively declining
over the years due to overfishing, illegal trade, water pollution, and
climate change. Nevertheless, their importance for the ecosystem is
inevitable. Sea turtles provide transportation to organism living on them,
along with transporting crucial nutrients from reefs to beaches, open
ocean, and seagrass beds.

One of the most significant aspects of the ocean treaty in terms of
addressing above mentioned factors threatening the existence of turtles,
is the establishment of the EEZs, known as the Exclusive Economic Zones.
EEZs are ocean areas of country’s coast 200 nautical miles being subject
to the control and legislation of the country. Such zones are crucial with
specific regard to sea turtles as the zones protect the critical habitat of
sea turtles, including feeding areas and nesting beaches.

Additionally, the ocean treaty plays pivotal role in tackling the marine
pollution being considered the utmost threat to sea turtles. The ocean
treaty requires the control of such pollution, its prevention and especially
reduction focusing on various sources, namely agricultural, urban areas,
and ships runoffs. This would help with reduction of plastic amount in
oceans that can be ingested by turtles, further causing serious health
issues.

In conclusion, the ocean treaty has been positively impacting sea turtles
as it provides legal frameworks for sustainable use and conservation of
oceans and their resources worldwide. Nevertheless, there is much scope for ensuring the protection of sea turtles and marine species for the future
by focusing on sustainable business, and specifically on waste and
greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Both impacting the climate change
and thus, the oceans and living organism depending on them.

References:
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Maureaud, A. A., Frelat, R., Pécuchet, L., Shackell, N., Mérigot, B., Pinsky,
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Podvolunteer. (2022). Why are turtles important?. Retrieved from
https://www.podvolunteer.org/blog/why-are-turtles-important
Stallard, E. (2023, March 5). Ocean treaty: Historic agreement reached
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64815782
Turtle Boots. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from https://turtleboots.co.nz/about/
United Nations. (1982). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Retrieved from
https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/UNCLO
S-TOC.htm
von Thenen, M., Armoškaitė, A., Cordero-Penín, V., García-Morales, S.,
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