On August 28, 2025, the Sargasso Sea Commission in collaboration with the Government of Bermuda hosted a side event at the second session for the preparatory commission for the entry into force of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement (BBNJ PrepCom).
Along with the Government of Bermuda, other partners to the event were The Bahamas, Canada, Monaco, and the UK.
The event shared the experience of the Sargasso Sea Commission in working to conserve the Sargasso Sea for over a decade under the voluntary framework of the 2014 Hamilton Declaration. Presentations focused on the collection of the best available science for the conservation of the Sargasso Sea as well as strategies for effective stakeholder engagement.
Minister of Public Works and Environment, the Hon. Jaché Adams, JP, MP, said: “Bermuda is proud to lead the conservation of the Sargasso Sea alongside other governmental partners, and it was especially meaningful to have the Sargasso Sea Commission present at the BBNJ PrepCom meeting.
"Their presence there underscored the importance of regional collaboration and the value of science-based governance in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Bermuda remains steadfast in its support for the Commission’s work”.
Dr Tammy Warren, former Sargasso Sea Commissioner and Senior Marine Resources Officer for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in opening the side event, commented: “Bermuda is the only land mass within the Sargasso Sea, and Bermudians see it as their sea – their backyard – even though it is about 4 million square kilometres."
Dr David Freestone, Executive Secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission, stated: "The Sargasso Sea Commission's experience is highly applicable to implementing the area-based management tool provisions in the BBNJ agreement.
"We hope that sharing these experiences will encourage the swift and effective implementation of the agreement when it comes into force."
The BBNJ agreement, finalised in 2023, will allow for internationally legally binding marine protected areas to be created on the high seas for the first time, among other reforms. The work of the Sargasso Sea Commission has informed and been informed by the negotiations of the agreement since 2010.
The Sargasso Sea Commission is currently finalising a comprehensive socio-ecosystem diagnostic analysis (SEDA) for the Sargasso Sea, which lays out the ecological and economic importance of the area, as well as human pressures upon it.
This SEDA will act as the basis for negotiation of a strategic action programme (SAP) for the Sargasso Sea that will be agreed by Sargasso Sea stakeholders, including Hamilton Declaration signatories and Sargasso Sea Commissioners.