International experts have just released a research paper which outlines a comprehensive strategy for the conservation of biodiversity on mid-ocean ridges from deep-sea mining.
The research was designed to help the International Seabed Authority (ISA) protect local biodiversity from deep-sea mining activities. These guidelines should help identify areas of environmental importance where no mining should occur.
“Areas near active hydrothermal vents on mid-ocean ridges have been approved for future exploration for ore deposits, but mining has not yet started, so we still have an opportunity to put into place effective environmental management plans,” explained Daniel C. Dunn, Assistant Research Professor at the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab for Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.
The ISA was established under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and are responsible for reviewing all applications to mine in waters outside national jurisdiction. The ISA is also responsible for putting environmental management plans into place for these areas.
“This paper contributes to that process by identifying a framework for developing a network of areas that should remain off-limits,” said Dunn, a co-lead author of the paper.
The deep-sea and bio-diversity research paper recommends 18 quantitative metrics which regulators can use to assess whether the number, shapes, sizes and locations of sites within a proposed ‘no-mining zone’ network will be sufficient to protect a wide range of habitats and species that might otherwise be harmed by mining activities.
“The ISA has set a precedent of conserving 30 to 50 per cent of their total management area in each region,” Dunn explained, “our framework helps pinpoint the specific characteristics – how close, how large, how long or wide – each area within a network needs to be to meet this objective.”
The study focused on future mining scenarios for the Mid-Atlantic Ridge but researchers have said that these guidelines are ‘flexible enough’ to be adapted for use in other deep-sea locations. The guidelines also take into consideration future changes to the seafloor, predicted to take place in the next 100 years as a result of climate change.
“[The research project] has been a massive three-year international effort, with input from more than 80 researchers, lawyers, mining contractors and policymakers, to help inform and guide ISA policies and practices so that sound environmental management plans can be put into place before the mining starts,” shared Dunn.
The full research paper can be found here.