By Annika Hammerschlag SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 A major agreement to protect marine diversity in the high seas was struck Friday when Morocco became the 60th nation to sign on, paving the way for the treaty to take effect next year. The High Seas Treaty is the first legal framework aimed at protecting biodiversity in international waters, those that lie beyond the jurisdiction of any single country. International waters account for nearly two-thirds of the ocean and nearly half of Earth\u2019s surface and are vulnerable to threats including overfishing, climate change and deep-sea mining. \u201cThe high seas are the world\u2019s largest crime scene \u2014 they\u2019re unmanaged, unenforced, and a regulatory legal structure is absolutely necessary,\u201d said Johan Bergenas, senior vice president of oceans at the World Wildlife Fund. Still, the pact\u2019s… <\/p>\n
By Annika Hammerschlag SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 A major agreement to protect marine diversity in the high seas was struck Friday when Morocco became the 60th nation to sign on, paving the way for the treaty to take effect next year. The High Seas Treaty is the first legal framework aimed at protecting biodiversity in international waters, those that lie beyond the jurisdiction of any single country. International waters account for nearly two-thirds of the ocean and nearly half of Earth\u2019s surface and are vulnerable to threats including overfishing, climate change and deep-sea mining. \u201cThe high seas are the world\u2019s largest crime scene \u2014 they\u2019re unmanaged, unenforced, and a regulatory legal structure is absolutely necessary,\u201d said Johan Bergenas, senior vice president of oceans at the World Wildlife Fund. Still, the pact\u2019s... <\/p>\n