High Seas Alliance

The High Seas Alliance is a powerful coalition of organisations that works to unify the voices of civil society to achieve better protection and governance of the high seas.

At A Glance

The High Seas Alliance is a powerful coalition of organisations that works to unify the voices of civil society to achieve better protection and governance of the high seas.

The high seas are the nearly two-thirds of the ocean which lie beyond national jurisdiction of coastal countries and as such are governed only by international regulations. These regulations contain hardly any provisions for the protection of species and ecosystems on the high seas, leaving this area of the planet extremely vulnerable to exploitation.

Founded in 2011, the High Seas Alliance combines expertise in law, research and campaigning to work with States at the United Nations (UN) to develop an instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which will provide protection for biodiversity on the high seas. The High Seas Alliance works through a variety of methods, from the production of key science and reports, to official interventions at UN forums, to small scale meetings of sympathetic states. Through the combined experience of the team and the member organisations, the High Seas Alliance represents a unique and incredibly influential body in international negotiations.

The High Seas Alliance has strategically leveraged the capacity of its member organizations to execute an effective and powerful campaign to achieve the launch and progression of a new agreement for the protection of high seas biodiversity. In July 2017, after six years of advocacy and campaigning work by the High Seas Alliance, the UN officially committed to developing a High Seas Biodiversity Treaty.

Synchronicity Earth has supported the High Seas Alliance since 2014 for its work towards a High Seas Biodiversity Treaty.