The Hidden Natural Wonders of the World

A campaign advocating for the establishment of High Seas Marine Protected Areas under the new United Nations BBNJ Treaty

The High Seas

Nearly fifty percent of the earth’s surface consists of the High Seas. This vast kaleidoscope of striking, yet mysterious, ecosystems belong to no one state or corporation, but to all humankind. Beyond each states’ 200 nautical miles of exclusive waters, the High Seas stretch into the horizon — a network of ecosystems and migratory routes that connect humans and animal species from around the globe. Through currents, nutrient rich upwellings, temperature regulation, oxygen production, and carbon sequestration, the High Seas support and protect life on earth.

65%

of oxygen is produced by the ocean

43%

of our planet is covered by the High Seas

31%

of carbon produced is stored in the ocean

By virtue of belonging to everyone and no one, the High Seas suffer from unregulated industry, pollution, and an inconsistent and fragmented system of governance. We as stewards of the environment are failing to protect fish stocks, clean up garbage and industry based disasters, and protect the diverse wonders found in the High Seas before climate change irrevocably alters the ocean and it is too late.

The United Nations High Seas Treaty

There is an opportunity on the horizon to transform how we conserve biodiversity and manage human activities impacting the High Seas.

  • The United Nations is undergoing negotiations for a treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). This treaty represents a concerted effort by States, international institutions, civil society actors, and Indigneous communities to develop an international framework to manage and protect the High Seas and their myriad of wonders.

    As the final round of negotiations approaches, it is crucial to build an ambitious treaty that protects the High Seas for future generations. In partnership with the High Seas Alliance, this campaign merges art, policy work, and science to advocate for a robust treaty that establishes a human—nature relationship based on reciprocity and equity.

  • One aspect of effective governance and conservation is the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The High Seas are home to a plethora of ecosystems and species, connected by currents and epic migrations. One of the campaign objectives is for the BBNJ treaty to establish a connected network of MPAs protecting and celebrating the extraordinary regions spread throughout the world’s oceans. This campaign identified eight priority areas for protection, each of which have an ambassador species to help champion regional conservation.

Stay up to date with the

The Priority MPAs and their Ambassador Species Artwork

Learn more about each artwork and why the chosen ambassador species are vital to each Marine Protected Area

The Thermal Dome & Leatherback Sea Turtle

This is an area of open ocean that directly benefits the land, providing vital connectivity between the two. For example, Critically Endangered leatherback hatchlings travel from Central American beaches through the Dome on their way to the mating and feeding grounds in the Southeastern Pacific. As well as being part of one of the world’s most important tuna capture areas, the plentiful food supplies of the Dome sustain commercial species which pass through to the coast and are caught in Central American fisheries. And this marine life provides people with more than just food: Many species thriving at the Dome migrate to the coastlines of Central America where this biodiversity sustains nature tourism, with sea turtle nesting, whale and dolphin watching, and sport fishing - all supporting industries which make big contributions to local communities and national economies.

The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges & Juan Fernández Fur Seal

Thousands of years ago, Polynesian and other seafarers used this hidden landscape on their voyages of expansive human migration and discovery, with their cultural heritage uniquely preserved by the Rapa Nui on nearby Easter Island. Today, the chains of ridges remain culturally important and provide all of us with an essential service as a global carbon sink, playing a part in everybody’s future.

Numerous studies have concluded these life-filled seamounts are among the most unique and ecologically significant areas globally. Far below the waves, intricate gardens of slow-growing corals and gorgonians adorn the rocky slopes in some of the clearest waters on the planet, and in the plankton-abundant upwellings over the ridges sharks, turtles, whales and seabirds gather to forage. This unique region is a vital habitat for commercial species too, from swordfish to jack mackerel, underpinning sustainable food security for millions – but only as long as we look after it.

The Sargasso Sea & Lined Seahorse

The floating weed supports a rich community of marine animals, including some unique Sargassum specialists: the Sargassum frog fish, for example, is a colour-changing cannibalistic anglerfish that uses its fins to climb through the tangled weeds in search of prey and can leap out of the water onto the mats to escape from predators. More than 145 invertebrate species have been recorded in the Sargassum, which also provides a habitat for at least 127 species of fish. Marlins, dolphinfish and flying fish spawn here; while satellite tags have shown porbeagle sharks migrating more than 2,000 km from Canadian waters to pup in the Sargasso Sea. It’s thought that white sharks breed here too, while whale sharks, tiger sharks and basking sharks are all present.

Critically endangered green, hawksbill, loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley turtle hatchlings hide and feed in the Sargassum. Meanwhile, 30 cetacean species have been recorded here, from humpbacks that migrate through in large numbers, to sperm whales and their calves. In the skies, 26 seabird species have been identified. These include the endangered and endemic Bermuda petrel known as the cahow, believed extinct until the 1950s, which today is Bermuda’s national bird.

The Emperor Seamounts & Laysan Albatross

The nutrient-rich waters of the Emperor Seamounts support vast biodiversity. Tunas and whales swim above their summits, and the skies are filled with seabirds. The world’s oldest known wild bird, an albatross named Wisdom, has been foraging in the area for at least the last 70 years. Longevity is a theme below the waves too – a hugely varied array of cold-water corals have formed most of the complex sea-floor habitats along the mountain chain, slowly growing millimetres each year. Among these, black corals are some of the oldest animals on Earth – there are colonies on the Emperor Seamounts which date back an astonishing 4,200 years. Among the deep-water habitats, diverse corals and sponges make beautiful forests of fans, trees, whips and other forms, providing shelter for countless fish species and a high number of invertebrates.

In the North Pacific, the Emperor Seamounts are an artery of biodiversity cutting across the often featureless deep sea. Scientists believe that these underwater mountains act like stepping stones for a multitude of marine animals, with each unique seamount acting as a staging post that affects how species are distributed and allowing gene flow to occur across vastly separated populations.

The South Tasman Sea / Lord Howe Rise & Dumbo Octopus

This is a diverse and dynamic ocean area, with high primary productivity supporting a wealth of marine life. The South Tasman Sea ranks highly on four out of the seven Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA) criteria, including characterization as an important breeding ground and migration corridor for a large number of species. It also contains five Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), and is frequented by vulnerable species including Antipodean and wandering albatrosses, and providence and Gould’s petrels – 50-65% of the world population of the latter come here in the breeding season. Marine megafauna including humpback and southern right whales gather to rest in the waters below as they journey between their feeding and breeding grounds.

The Lord Howe Rise in the north is home to hundreds of species, many of which are likely to be endemic. Acorn worms, sea pens, whip corals, shrimps and other animals live in its soft sediments, while cold-water corals and sponges populate the rocky seamounts. At least 348 demersal fish species have so far been identified, and 25% of these may be new to science. In fact, surveys have shown that between 31-78% of all species recorded here are new discoveries – and the many areas of the Rise which remain unexplored are sure to reveal more undiscovered marine life.

The Walris Ridge & Smooth Lantern Shark

While the Ridge as a whole remains largely unexplored – a lot of what we know about its marine fauna in fact comes from commercial and exploratory fishing expeditions – it’s clearly a vital area for biodiversity. Bluefin and bigeye tunas along with orange roughy have been important species here for commercial fishers, who also operate fisheries for stocks including alfonsino, Patagonian toothfish, pelagic armourhead and deep-sea red crab. But this is only the beginning of the inventory. One research cruise identified a total of 175 fish species, 50 cephalopod species, and 192 benthic invertebrate species; while in the sky the productivity of the waters sustains globally threatened albatrosses as well as several species of seabirds endemic to the Tristan da Cunha islands.

Lophelia, goronian and bamboo corals are among those which have been discovered growing at various heights on the seamounts of the Walvis Ridge; the mounts acting as stepping stones which allow sedentary species like corals and sponges to gradually disperse over large distances.

Saya De Malha & Pygmy Blue Whale

COMING SOON