In 2016, countries began meeting at the United Nations ( UN ) to prepare for negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction ( ABNJ ). How the instrument will relate to submarine cables, if at all, remains to be decided. The preparatory committee will address a “package” of issues, among them the application of area-based management tools, including marine protected areas ( MPA s) and environmental impact assessments ( EIA s) to activities in ABNJ . EIA s and MPA s already affect submarine cable operations in national jurisdictions. In ABNJ , a new instrument should formalize a cooperative framework with the cable industry to provide limited environmental management where necessary without over-burdening cable operations. This approach would be consistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and could also inform governance with respect to other activities likely to be benign in ABNJ .

中文翻译：

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海底电信电缆和 ABNJ 的生物多样性协议：寻找新的合作途径

2016 年，各国开始在联合国 (UN) 举行会议，准备谈判以制定一项关于保护和可持续利用国家管辖范围以外区域海洋生物多样性 (ABNJ) 的具有国际法律约束力的文书。该仪器将如何与海底电缆相关，如果有的话，仍有待决定。筹备委员会将解决“一揽子”问题，其中包括区域管理工具的应用，包括海洋保护区 (MPA) 和环境影响评估 (EIA) 在 ABNJ 的活动。EIA 和 MPA 已经影响到国家管辖范围内的海底电缆运营。在 ABNJ，一项新文书应与电缆行业正式建立合作框架，以便在必要时提供有限的环境管理，而不会增加电缆运营的负担。