Kategorie: News
Moratorium on deep-sea mining called for
The spring meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council ended on 31 March. This year it took place in Jamaica. There is at least one positive aspect we can report: the growing number of states calling for a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining plans gives hope.
On the other hand, the continuing pressure by some states and individual companies to start deep-sea mining, as well as the lack of neutrality of the ISA Secretariat, are of great concern.
The WWF, for example, strongly criticises the fact that the Secretary General of the ISA is increasingly interfering in decision-making processes and taking positions. Germany and Costa Rica, among others, also complained about this lack of neutrality on the part of the ISA Secretariat during the meeting. "The Secretary General has to maintain his neutrality and not influence the deliberations in the Seabed Authority," said Tim Packeiser, marine ecologist at WWF.
Deep-sea mining is an avoidable environmental disaster
Efforts are being made to contain the damage caused by onshore resource extraction. Exploitation of the still largely untouched deep-sea habitats must not be the next step. A moratorium on deep-sea mining until sufficient scientific knowledge is available and it is proven that mining of mineral resources in the deep sea can be carried out without damaging the marine environment is urgently needed.
It is hopeful that, in addition to numerous non-governmental organisations, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, Germany, New Zealand, Palau, Panama, Samoa, Spain and, for the first time, Vanuatu and Finland have spoken out in favour of a moratorium that would pause or ban commercial deep-sea mining activities.
The mood in Jamaica is tense after the Pacific island nation of Nauru triggered the so-called two-year rule in 2021. This rule states that the ISA must review and, if necessary, approve an application for deep-sea mining after two years, even if the regulations for the extraction of mineral resources (the so-called "Mining Code") have not yet been finalised within this period. This deadline expires in July.
Under corresponding time pressure, the 36 states represented in the Council of the International Seabed Authority are trying to finalise the negotiations on the code. But even at the end of the spring session, numerous questions remain unresolved. Parallel debates continue on how the Council should deal with a potential application for mining resources if the Mining Code has not yet been agreed at the time of an application.
WWF regards it as a sign of hope that numerous states have spoken out during the meeting in favour of not approving any deep-sea mining applications even after the 2-year deadline has expired, provided that a set of rules is not yet in place that ensures effective protection of the marine environment.
No agreement on a common line
Greenpeace marine expert Till Seidensticker, who was also on site and participated in the meetings as an observer, is much less positive: "The states involved will probably not be able to agree on a common line in dealing with mining applications from the deep-sea mining industry. This makes it legally possible for companies to submit mining applications before the next Council meeting in July, when the states could still decide on a moratorium. On 9 July 2023, the two-year deadline expires, which the island state of Nauru triggered as the applicant on behalf of 'The Metals Company'. If there is no moratorium, mining applications can be made in the future on the basis of incomplete regulations.
The ecological consequences of deep-sea mining would be dramatic. It would destroy the seabed, with devastating effects on biodiversity. If the ISA states do not act now, it would be a major setback for marine protection and would contradict the purpose of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which was adopted at the beginning of March."
The current rules of the Convention on the Law of the Sea are 40 years old and out of date. For effective protection of the seas, there is an urgent need for a new regulatory framework that prevents exploitation of the deep sea. The oceans must not be endangered by the interests of individual corporations.
A moratorium that sets the course for a permanent ban on deep-sea mining is urgently needed. States must become aware of their responsibility for marine protection and act in time. It is to be hoped that a clear majority for this forward-looking decision can be brought about at the next session.
Deep-sea dwellers on the "Red List"
The threats posed to individual species by the current pressures on the deep sea alone can be read about in the IUCN Red List. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) had already published an update of threatened species in July 2019. One of the species classified as threatened here is a deep-sea inhabitant: the scaly-foot gastropod. This unique deep-sea snail is found at depths of 2,400 to 2,800 metres. This snail is a unique species with iron-containing scales that has only been found at hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean.
The growing interest in seabed sulphide extraction has led to two of these three hydrothermal vents (Kairei and Longqi) being located in areas where the International Seabed Authority has issued mining exploration licences. The confined habitat of the scaly-legged snail must therefore be considered threatened - a reason to add the species to the Red List. The threat of deep-sea mining thus leads to the under-protection of a species for the first time.
The addition to the Red List serves as an important case study showing how the IUCN Red List can be used to conserve the deep sea, which has been largely unexplored.
Interesting facts
Granted mining licences for one million square kilometres of seabed
Deep-sea mining: Research on risks and ecological consequences
Deep-sea snail on the Red List of Threatened Species for the first time