International law, particularly the formulation of legal agreements between nations with commonly shared resources, provide a powerful tool for regulating access to those resources and for controlling activities with potentially destructive impacts on the environment.

There are several international agreements and a series of regional and national agreements which are directly relevant to the conservation of marine biodiversity.

These include agreements to regulate pollution resulting from maritime activity, control trade in endangered marine species, curb the hunting of endangered whales, protect coastal sites of universal value, trace the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems, and deal with pollution from land-based activities.

In addition, there are currently nine UNEP Regional Seas Conventions with their attendant protocols which address marine issues of particular regional importance.

Global agreements

Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks

Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage

Convention for the Establishment of an Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

Convention on Biological Diversity; including the Jakarta Mandate of the Convention on Biological Diversity on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)

Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matters (London Dumping Convention) and other IMO conventions on the pollution of the marine environment

Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes (Basel Convention)

Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention)

International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Regional agreements

African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

Antarctic Treaty System, including
–Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS)
–Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
–Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

Convention for the Prohibition of Fishing with Long Driftnets in the South Pacific

Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention)

National agreements

The Australian Whale Protection Act
The Marine Mammal Protection Act of the United States
The Endangered Species Act of the US
The Endangered Species Act of the United Kingdom

More information on these and other environmental treaties is available from:

ECOLEX, a new source of information on international and national environmental law sponsored by UNEP and IUCN
Environmental Treaties and Resources Indicators (ENTRI), including
– chronological list of treaties
– chronological list of selected treaty summaries
Survey of International Agreements by the US government (NOAA)
WRI summaries of international agreements
Tufts University list of marine and coastal treaties
List of Regional Seas Conventions and Protocols