By Cymie Payne and Matthew Gianni
As the global ocean faces growing pressures from climate change, pollution and unsustainable fisheries, to emerging threats like geoengineering and deep-sea mining, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Abu Dhabi represents a critical moment. Two motions in particular – Motion 032 (Protecting seamounts and other vulnerable marine ecosystems from destructive practices) and Motion 035 (Protection of mesopelagic ecosystem integrity) – offer the opportunity to strengthen global governance and deliver on 20 years of promises for ocean protection.
In this blog, we explain the IUCN motion process, what these motions propose, and why they are essential in light of recent and pending international agreements, including the BBNJ Agreement (UN Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) primary goal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
What is an IUCN Motion and how is it powerful?
The motions process is a key mechanism through which IUCN Members propose and decide policy directions for the IUCN. IUCN members comprise States, governmental agencies, local governments, Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). There are several key steps in the motion process:
- Members submit draft motions
- Draft motions are reviewed by the Motions Working Group
- There is an online discussion period to allow input from IUCN members
- Some motions are voted on electronically ahead of Congress; others are voted in plenary at the Congress after further online or onsite discussion and debate
- Adopted motions become Resolutions or Recommendations, which guide IUCN policy, and influence conservation priorities, though they are not legally binding.
A recent example of this power in action is Motion 069 which was adopted by the IUCN in 2021 and became Resolution 122, calling for a moratorium on deep‐sea mining unless and until a number of conditions are met. That motion sent a clear, decisive signal to States and international bodies that there is global opposition to deep-sea mining.
What do Motions 032 and 035 seek, and why now?
Motion 032: Protecting seamounts and other vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) from destructive practices.
Motion 032 calls on IUCN Members to fully implement long-standing UN General Assembly, CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity), and IUCN resolutions that commit countries to ensure the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, including seamounts, from destructive fishing practices, in particular deep-sea bottom trawling.
It is based on scientific evidence accumulated over the past two decades that show seamounts and the species and ecosystems they support to be unique, structurally complex, and fragile. There is also mounting evidence showing that bottom trawling on seamounts causes significant adverse impacts that cannot be effectively prevented. The United Nation’s Second World Ocean Assessment, in 2021 concluded that “Fishing, especially bottom trawling, constitutes the greatest current threat to seamount ecosystems.”
Motion 035: Protection of mesopelagic ecosystem integrity.
Motion 035 emphasises that the mesopelagic, or ‘twilight’, zone (200-1000 meters depth), though only about 20% of ocean volume, holds some 50-90% of the ocean’s biomass and has a vital ecological role through daily vertical migrations, carbon sequestration and providing food for many higher trophic animals.
The motion argues that pressures are rising, including climate change, expansion of fisheries targeting mesopelagic fish, and potential disturbances from deep-sea mining and marine geoengineering. It calls for a precautionary pause on expansion of mesopelagic fishing and other activities until robust scientific assessments, governance structures, and conservation measures are in place under new or existing frameworks.
Why these motions are significant and how they link to broader international commitments
1. Delivering on decades of commitments
Motion 032 builds on nearly two decades of UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions and legal obligations in the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement that require States and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) to prevent significant adverse impacts of bottom fishing on vulnerable marine ecosystems, including seamounts, yet notes that these obligations remain unfulfilled. Motion 035 highlights that while the mesopelagic zone plays a fundamental role in global biodiversity and carbon sequestration, governance and conservation measures for this vast ecosystem are lacking. By adopting these motions, IUCN Members reinforce the need to fully translate long-standing international commitments into concrete protection and precautionary action.
2. Synergies with the BBNJ Agreement and Global Biodiversity Framework
Upon entry into force in January 2026, the BBNJ Agreement will establish legal obligations for conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, including for deep sea ecosystems like seamounts and mesopelagic zones. These motions help set the stage for BBNJ Agreement implementation by showing that States are aware of the challenges and threats, and are engaged and expect protection of ocean biodiversity and ecosystems.
Likewise, one target of the GBF calls for conservation of 30% of the ocean by 2030 – “30×30”. To achieve this in any meaningful way, we must protect key ecosystems, not only by designating protected areas, but by ensuring they are also free of destructive human activities. Protecting seamounts and the mesopelagic zone is essential to credibly achieving 30×30.
3. Setting norms and governance precedents
When the IUCN WCC adopts motions, they do more than reflect scientific consensus, they help shape norms. As with the adoption of the motion for a moratorium on deep-sea mining (Motion 069) at the WCC in 2021, a strong vote in favour can shift the conversation, helping to influence regulatory bodies and inspire domestic law and policy. As of today, 38 countries have called for a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining.
What’s at stake at the 2025 World Conservation Congress
We will see motions 032 and 035 discussed, possibly amended, and then voted on. These motions come at a moment when States are preparing for key moments in the international high seas ocean agenda including the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement in January 2026 and the UN Bottom Fisheries Review later in the year, as well as the ongoing implementation of the GBF. Strong motions now can help shape the agendas of these processes in the months and years to come.
Motions 032 and 035 offer more than policy statements, they are potential turning points. They are opportunities to anchor protection of critical ocean ecosystems in norms, in law, and in practice. As the deep sea faces escalating threats, these motions can help ensure that global promises are not simply words, but lead to action to deal with these threats head-on.
When IUCN Members gather in October, the world will be watching. What is decided will echo through the UN General Assembly, through the BBNJ Agreement, through RFMOs, and through our future relationship with the ocean for the benefit of species, ecosystems, sustainability, and health and well-being of the planet and humankind overall. Let’s use this moment wisely.
Cymie Payne is Professor at Rutgers University faculty where she teaches international and environmental law. Cymie is also Chair of the Ocean Law Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Commission on Environmental Law and serves as counsel on behalf of the IUCN before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
Matthew Gianni is a co-founder of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and currently serves as its Political and Policy Advisor. He has been involved in international fisheries and marine conservation policy, law and treaty negotiations for almost 30 years at the United Nations General Assembly, UN summits, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, regional fisheries management organizations and the International Seabed Authority.