JOURNEY TO PROTECT THE LOST WORLD
PROTECTING OUR BLUE BACKYARD – THE TASMAN SEA
Greenpeace is on a mission to protect the incredible biodiversity of the Tasman Sea, the vibrant ocean corridor between Australia and New Zealand. Within the Tasman Sea, the Lord Howe Rise and the South Tasman Sea regions are teeming with life, including seabirds, sharks, diverse fish species, and migrating humpback whales. Seamounts, or underwater mountains, create vibrant habitats that sustain ancient coral gardens and unique species, making this region one of the most important biodiversity hotspots on the high seas.
We’re calling on the Australian Government to help safeguard the ocean by ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty and championing a marine sanctuary to protect Lord Howe Rise and the South Tasman Sea, ensuring these ecosystems can flourish for generations to come.
In November 2024, Greenpeace will visit Lord Howe Island, the jewel in the crown of the Lord Howe Rise, to document its underwater wonders and show how this volcanic lost world is a crucial gateway to the South Tasman Sea. We’ll spotlight its beauty, highlight its importance, and tell stories of the incredible marine life who call it home.
Together, we can help ensure a thriving future for the ocean and protect all life that depends on it.
SIGN THE PETITION NOW
Climate change, pollution and overfishing are pushing our oceans to the brink of collapse. Food security and the livelihoods of billions of people hang in the balance.
After years of campaigning, the first ever Global Ocean Treaty was approved, but governments now need to sign it into law, to make protected areas a reality at sea. Time is running out, and reaching this target will require a strong and urgent political response.
But there is hope and the Australian Government needs to be a leader in protecting the ocean.
PETITION I call on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to urgently ratify the Global Oceans Treaty, and champion an ocean sanctuary in the Tasman Sea, where marine life can recover and thrive.
JOURNEY TO LORD HOWE RISE
Join the Greenpeace Australia Pacific team as we travel to Lord Howe Island to document the unique beauty and diverse life of the Lord Howe Rise, the gateway to the abundant high seas.
UNDERSTANDING OCEAN PROTECTION
Global Ocean Treaty
The Global Ocean Treaty is an essential tool for protecting life in the high seas. By creating new sanctuaries we can protect the ocean for the future.
Podcast: The Oceans Treaty finally passed last year after decades of negotiations – but what actually is it? And will it do anything?
The High Seas
The high seas are the waters of the open ocean that sit beyond the control of individual nations and are a largely-unexplored world, abundant with life.
Podcast: Did you know that pretty much anything goes in international waters? Past a certain point national jurisdiction ends and the Wild West begins.
A Volcanic Lost World
Seamounts are underwater mountains and biodiversity hotspots rich with life. We are only just beginning to understand these underwater paradises.
Podcast: The world’s longest mountain range is actually in the middle of the ocean – the mid-Atlantic ridge, at more than 40,000 miles long. But who knows about these mountains?
OCEAN SANCTUARIES
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are special parts of the ocean set aside to protect marine life and ecosystems. They vary in how strict their rules are, from minimal protection to fully protected zones that prohibit harmful activities like overfishing and deep sea mining. Right now, there’s no global system to create these in international waters, but the Global Ocean Treaty can change that, providing a framework for creating protected areas on the high seas.
The Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea are two proposed marine sanctuary sites located in ‘The Ditch’ between Australia and New Zealand. The complex topography and nutrient-rich currents in these areas create ideal conditions for species like tuna, whales, seabirds, and ancient corals to thrive.
Establishing a sanctuary here would not only safeguard endangered species, like the South Pacific humpback whale and several types of albatross, but also provide a habitat for all marine life to thrive. These waters are under threat from activities activities like industrial fishing, including bottom trawling, pollution and the impact of climate change
By protecting the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea region, we can ensure a safe haven in the vast open ocean.
What are we calling for from the Australian Government?
In 2024 and during the trip to Lord Howe Island, we’re calling on the Australian Government to do two things:
1. Ratify the Global Ocean Treaty by the end of 2024 (and by the federal election!)
2. Lead the development of a fully and highly protected high seas marine sanctuary in the Tasman Sea between Australian and New Zealand under the UN Global Ocean Treaty.
Why is Greenpeace campaigning on this issue?
In 2023, Greenpeace published the report 30×30: From Global Ocean Treaty to Protection at Sea which outlines three key sites which are strong candidates for protection under the Global Ocean Treaty: Emperor Seamounts of the North Pacific, Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic, and Lord Howe Rise/South Tasman Sea in the South Pacific.
These sites all are Ecologically and Biologically Sensitive Marine Areas (EBSAs) as defined under the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity. They also are among the High Seas Alliance’s recommendations for the first protected areas under the new Treaty, and progress towards protection in each is politically mature enough to make them prime contenders to be among the first ocean sanctuaries created using the Treaty.
These are not the only potential ocean sanctuary sites we will work on in the coming years, but we use them as case studies in this report to help illustrate the pathway to protection for ecologically important marine areas that could realistically be protected soon after the Treaty has been ratified.