Introduction.-1. The protection and conservation of marine genetic resources for human security.-1.1 'The shifting and bridging' concept of security.-1.2 From the 'cold desert' to thriving biodiversity: The deep-sea ecosystems.-1.3 Bioprospecting for human health: the need to protect and conserve marine genetic resources.-2. Addressing marine genetic resources through the existing legal framework: a legal lacuna.-2.1 The legal framework of the Convention on Biodiversity.-2.2 The legal framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.-2.3 The protection and conservation of marine genetic resources from the Ad hoc Working Group on BBNJ to the Intergovernmental Conference.-2.4 Regulating marine genetic resources: three approaches.-3. The International Seabed Authority: An effective tool for the protection of marine biodiversity?-3.1 The International Seabed Authority and its mandate: from mineral to genetic resources?-3.2 The environmental mandate of the International Seabed Authority.-4. Which role for the International Seabed Authority under the new treaty on BBNJ?-Conclusion.