Artist Richt’s Ocean Mural Marks the High Seas Treaty on the English Coast
A High Seas Treaty mural by artist Richt has appeared on the English coast, marking a pivotal moment for global ocean protection.
A new mural unveiled this weekend in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, marks a pivotal moment for the world’s oceans. Created by Bristol-based artist Richt, the artwork coincides with the High Seas Treaty coming into force today, January 17, a landmark agreement described as the most important global environmental deal since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
Behind the mural: Richt on the Sussex coast for the global High Seas Treaty street art action.
“For as long as I can remember, Greenpeace has amplified powerful campaigns alongside artists for the world’s most pressing issues. When I was younger, my family instilled in us just how lucky we were to live by the sea. I remember people saying that to me all the time, and I think that proximity teaches a respect for the environment, the moors and the coastline.” Artist Richt
Appearing on the UK coastline the mural forms part of a coordinated global initiative by GreenPeace involving artists, Indigenous Peoples, activists and local communities across 13 countries and five continents. From Europe to the Pacific, street art has become the shared visual language marking the arrival of a treaty that has taken more than two decades to secure.
Behind the mural: Richt on the Sussex coast for the global High Seas Treaty street art action.
The High Seas Treaty gives governments the legal framework to protect vast areas of ocean beyond national borders for the first time. These waters, known as the high seas, make up nearly half of the Earth’s surface and play a critical role in regulating the climate, sustaining biodiversity and supporting food systems worldwide.
“I’m really proud to be a part of this long tradition for Greenpeace in support of the Global Ocean Treaty. The focus of the work is a message in a bottle, widely understood as an act of desperation and devotion; thrown into the sea in the hope of finding help before it’s too late. Often, news about the environment is paired with the language of “last chance”. In the case of the Treaty, that last chance is being held up by red tape.” Artist Richt
The High Seas Treaty Mural and the Role of Street Art
Richt’s mural is positioned close to the shoreline, where the sea is both backdrop and subject. The artwork depicts a message in a bottle resting on the ocean floor, surrounded by marine life including a turtle, an angelfish and coral forms. Addressed directly to the UK government, the bottle feels less like a symbol and more like an unanswered appeal.
Close-up of the message in a bottle in Richt’s High Seas Treaty mural, calling on the UK government to sign the treaty into law.
Among the imagery is an oyster that represents hidden value and uncertainty, drawing from Lewis Carroll’s The Walrus and the Carpenter. In the poem, young oysters are offered the illusion of choice while their fate is already determined. Here, the reference expands beyond marine ecology to systems of power, delay and decision-making.
Oyster motif in Richt’s mural, a symbol of hidden value and uncertainty, included in the High Seas Treaty ocean protection artwork.
The message in a bottle is a universally understood gesture. It suggests urgency, devotion and hope without guaranteeing response. Thrown into the sea, it relies on chance, empathy and action elsewhere.
The High Seas Treaty and the Race to 2030
The Treaty officially triggers a four-year countdown to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030, a target scientists identify as the minimum required to halt biodiversity collapse and stabilise the climate. Currently, just 0.9 percent of the high seas are fully or highly protected.
Richt on the Sussex coast for the global High Seas Treaty street art action.
Closing that gap in such a short time would require conservation efforts on a scale larger than any previously attempted, protecting ocean areas greater than entire continents. The Treaty makes this ambition legally possible. What it does not guarantee is political momentum.
Turtle and marine life from Richt’s ocean protection mural created for the High Seas Treaty campaign
While 81 countries including France, Spain, China, Japan, Mexico and Brazil have already signed the Treaty into law, the UK has yet to do so. This hesitation gives the St Leonards mural its sharpest edge. Positioned on British soil, created by a UK artist, it asks why progress stalls at the point of implementation.
When Public Space Becomes Pressure
Street art has long functioned as a barometer of public urgency. It occupies shared space, bypasses official channels and refuses to wait for permission. In this GreenPeace global initiative, murals have appeared across continents, each rooted in local context while speaking to a shared planetary concern.
Turtle and marine life from Richt’s ocean protection mural created for the High Seas Treaty campaign on St Leonards-on-Sea.
In coastal towns like St Leonards-on-Sea, the message resonates with particular clarity. Communities living alongside the sea experience both its abundance and its vulnerability firsthand. The mural treats the as a living system with finite limits and shared responsibility.
A striking new mural is unveiled in St Leonards-On-Sea, East Sussex, to celebrate a landmark moment for global ocean protection: the High Seas Treaty coming into force.
Greenpeace UK has described the Treaty as the starting point rather than the conclusion. The science is settled. The tools now exist. What remains unresolved is whether governments will act quickly enough to meet the scale of the challenge.
“The Oceans Treaty enables governments to protect large areas of the high seas for the first time. It fires the starting gun on a four-year race to protect 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030 – the minimum scientists say is needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, stabilise the climate and safeguard food security for billions of people.
But while communities around the world are celebrating, the UK government – yet to pass the Treaty into UK law – is holding us back. This powerful beachside mural by Richt captures both the hope and urgency of the moment.” Chris Thorne, Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace UK
From Mural to Direct Action
Following its unveiling, the artwork will be transformed into a digital postcard, enabling members of the public to send the image directly to the UK foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, the minister responsible for the Treaty. The message will travel again, shifting from wall to inbox.
Greenpeace on St Leonards-On-Sea, East Sussex, to celebrate a landmark moment for global ocean protection: the High Seas Treaty coming into force.
“A constellation of ocean sanctuaries where marine life, from colourful corals to majestic whales, can thrive is within reach. But we will only get there if the UK signs the Treaty into law and puts forward ambitious proposals to protect vast areas of the ocean, including the Sargasso Sea and other parts of the Atlantic. There’s no time to waste.” Chris Thorne, Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace UK
The bottle has been cast into the water. The treaty is in force. What happens next depends on who chooses to respond…
Image Courtesy Greenpeace