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Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement

Asked by Andrew RosindellReform UKDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 17 November 2025UIN 87709

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to consult UK maritime stakeholders on the implementation of the UN Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction.

Answered by Emma Hardy

Defra will be launching a consultation on implementation of Part IV of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement on Environmental Impact Assessments. Through this consultation, we will seek information from UK maritime stakeholders on marine activities occurring in areas beyond national jurisdiction and views on marine licensing regime arrangements.

The proposed changes in the consultation will be further to provisions in Part 4 of the BBNJ Bill which was introduced in Parliament on 10 September 2025.

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