Bermuda has the power to contribute meaningfully to a global high seas agreement, even though the island cannot ratify the treaty independent of Britain, a local environmentalist argued.

Noelle Young said the island could advocate for inclusive implementation of the landmark Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, which came into force on Saturday.

Ms Young said: “Even without ratification powers, Bermuda can contribute by aligning local marine policies with the treaty’s principles, supporting capacity-building initiatives and participating in regional and international collaborations.

“Implementation that excludes those closest to the ocean risks repeating past governance failures.

“It would be deeply troubling if decisions about the ocean that sustains us were being made by distant countries without meaningful input from the Bermudian community that actually lives within the Sargasso Sea and bears the consequences of those choices.”

While Britain introduced legislation on the matter in 2025, Parliament is still to ratify it.

The Ministry of Public Works and Environment said while Bermuda cannot officially sign off on the treaty itself, the Government requested its extension through Britain and both parties are engaged in shaping future conservation proposals.

“This treaty strengthens Bermuda’s role on the international stage and supports a healthier ocean for generations to come,” the Government said.

It hailed the agreement as a decisive moment for ocean conservation — one especially significant for Bermuda as a high-seas island whose economy and ecosystems are inseparable from the surrounding Sargasso Sea.

Bermuda has long championed the protection of the Sargasso Sea through the Hamilton Declaration, signed by the island in 2014 to protect a vast area of the surrounding waters, and the work of the Sargasso Sea Commission.

The latest pact was said to build on that foundation, opening new ways to secure lasting protection for the high-seas areas that sustain the island’s fisheries, biodiversity and climate resilience.

On Saturday, António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, declared that the implementation of the agreement marked a “watershed moment” for the ocean.

He added: “This is an historic achievement — for people and planet; for international co-operation and the United Nations.

“This treaty establishes the first legal framework for conserving and sustainably using marine biodiversity in the two-thirds of the ocean that lie beyond national borders.”

He commended all parties to the agreement and urged all states to join.

Ms Young suggested that Bermuda clearly state its intention to be involved early in the decision-making processes.

She said ocean currents, migratory species and pollution all move across invisible border lines.

Also known as the UN High Seas Treaty, the pact creates a legal pathway to establish protections for small island communities that have never existed at such a large scale before, Ms Young said.

She said the convention represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Bermuda, as an ocean-reliant island, to address gaps in global ocean governance that directly affect its future.

The treaty, which guarantees protection for 30 per cent of the world's ocean, was adopted by the United Nations in June 2023.

Internationally, Ms Young said discussions among governments and scientists had been robust and technically strong.

However, at the local level in most island communities she said engagement so far had been “limited or non-existent”.

She said: “It does not seem to be due to a lack of community interest, but rather a lack of resources, the complexity of the treaty and competing national priorities.”

Ms Young argued that Bermuda can still play a meaningful role by making recommendations, shaping how the treaty can support Subnational Island Jurisdictions, and eventually how it will be implemented and any new regulations enforced.

This includes providing technical expertise, advocating for financing and equipment, contributing to scientific research and ensuring that local knowledge and priorities are reflected in UK-level decision-making.

Ms Young said several factors, such as costs associated with the treaty, were overlooked by stakeholders in the agreement’s implementation.

She explained: “For islands, reacting to environmental damage, whether through loss of fisheries, reef decline or climate impacts is far more expensive than prevention.

“Strong high seas protections are a form of risk reduction that ultimately saves public money and protects livelihoods.”

On Thursday, the UN said 81 nations ratified the treaty and have agreed to put it into effect at the national level.

It said the marine regions covered by the “game-changing” treaty make up over two-thirds of the ocean’s surface, representing more than 90 per cent of the earth’s habitat by volume.

Several major economies, including China, Germany, Japan, France and Brazil, have ratified the treaty.

Washington adopted the treaty in 2023 but the agreement is still to reach the US Senate.