Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

“Why Should We Care About the High Seas?” Kristina M. Gjerde, Adjunct Professor, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and Senior High Seas Advisor to IUCN’s Ocean Team.

Negotiations at the United Nations towards a new Agreement for marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) ended after two weeks (and four prior sessions) of deliberations in late August without adopting a final text. What does this mean and why is the outcome important? Come join Kristina Gjerde, senior high seas advisor to IUCN and adjunct professor of international ocean law at MIIS, as she takes us behind the scenes of the quest to secure a new global agreement to safeguard the two thirds of our ocean beyond national boundaries. Together we will explore the context, present dilemmas, and future opportunities for an ambitious and equitable new agreement.

Bio: Kristina M. Gjerde, J.D., is Senior High Seas Advisor to IUCN’s Ocean Team and adjunct professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. Kristina received her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law with a focus on comparative and international law and currently focuses on the nexus of law, science, and policy relevant to sustaining marine biodiversity beyond national boundaries. Kristina has co-founded four science-policy partnerships: the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative, The Sargasso Sea Project, the High Seas Alliance and the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI), authored or co-authored more than 150 publications, and serves on the advisory board of many ocean-related initiatives. Kristina is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences, and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.