Strengthening the International Seabed Authority's knowledge-base: Addressing uncertainties to enhance decision-making

Ginzky, Harald; Singh, Pradeep; Markus, Till

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103823

Cited by 23 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Although the exploitation of mineral resources in the Area may generate economic benefits for humankind, the best available scientific knowledge about the environmental consequences of deep-sea mining indicates that mining activities in the Area have direct impacts on deep-sea ecosystems in the forms of species removal, community changes, degradation of habitats and biodiversity loss (Gollner et al 2017;Jones et al 2019). Due to the triggering of the "two-year rule" 1 by the Republic of Nauru in 2021 and a contractor's intention to submit a mining exploitation application as early as July 2024 (The Metals Company 2023), ISA urgently needs to adopt strategic goals for the protection of the environment before these negative environmental impacts become a reality.…”

Section: Environmental Stewardship Mandate Of the International Seabe...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining Strategic Environmental Goals and Objectives for the Management of Deep-sea Mining Operations in the Seabed Beyond National Jurisdiction

Bettencourt,

Liang

2024

JSPG

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After the inconclusive second part of the 28th Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in July 2023, there were concerns that the ISA would start accepting exploitation applications for deep-sea mining in the seabed beyond national jurisdiction (the Area) with neither a full regulatory framework in place nor a general policy related to the conservation of our marine environment. Currently, the environmental management of deep-sea mining by the ISA is cursory and lacks strategic aims regarding the preservation of deep-sea ecosystems. This makes the ISA unable to fulfill its environmental stewardship mandate as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. To overcome this inability, we propose that the ISA defines Strategic Environmental Goals and Objectives by carrying out a Strategic Environmental Assessment of deep-sea mining in the Area, with broader stakeholder engagement and considerations for cumulative and long-term effects. This will allow the ISA to develop the first strategic environmental policy for the Area under its jurisdiction to protect deep-sea ecosystems.

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Section: Environmental Stewardship Mandate Of the International Seabe...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining Strategic Environmental Goals and Objectives for the Management of Deep-sea Mining Operations in the Seabed Beyond National Jurisdiction

Bettencourt,

Liang

2024

JSPG

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“…fish, genetic resources), regulating services (carbon cycle), or cultural services (science and discovery) (Le et al, 2017). Not only do we lack an understanding of the mining-induced consequences of biodiversity loss (Van Dover et al, 2017;Niner et al, 2018), loss of unique habitats, such as hydrothermal vents (Van Dover, 2011;Van Dover, 2014;Van Dover et al, 2018), and loss of irreplaceable seamount fauna (Schlacher et al, 2013;Morgan et al, 2015;Gollner et al, 2017;Clark et al, 2019), but also the procedures needed to gain knowledge on such consequences have not yet been established (Ginzky et al, 2020). This is in stark contradiction to the global goal set by the international community to halt the loss of biodiversity, 'end the war on nature' 6 and 'live in harmony with nature'.…”

Section: Environmental Governance Of Deep Seabed Mining In the Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ISA appears to be a weak regulator (Ginzky et al, 2020) in the latest draft exploitation regulations (International Seabed Authority, 2019b) which provide only a very general framework for environmentally relevant procedures, such as the obligation for applicants to submit an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document and report the results of the environmental impact assessment process (EIA process), and an Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan. Normative standards for implementing effective environmental protection and mitigation measures in line with the obligations set by UNCLOS Articles 145 and 192 do not yet exist, and scientists are concerned that misconceptions about the implications of scientific uncertainties on the nature of the deep-sea environment and related scientific advice on the potential mining-related effects may unjustifiably increase the acceptability of mining (Smith et al, 2020a;Smith et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Environmental Governance Of Deep Seabed Mining In the Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards an Ecosystem Approach to Management in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: REMPs for Deep Seabed Mining and the Proposed BBNJ Instrument

et al. 2022

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The ocean plays a key role in sustaining life on our planet and is inextricably linked to biodiversity, climate, human well-being, and health. However, the governance of the ocean is primarily pursued through sectoral-based legal and institutional frameworks that falls short in ensuring the long-term protection of the marine environment and the sustainability of marine resources. This is especially concerning in areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (ABNJ) where human activities continue to expand. The existence of two distinct regimes in ABNJ, namely the High Seas (applicable to the water column, which is a global common) and the Area (applicable to the international seabed and its mineral resources, which are the common heritage of mankind), that have been largely regulated separately, impede the development and implementation of integrated marine environmental governance and biodiversity conservation in ABNJ. On the one hand, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is mandated to administer the mineral resources of the Area, is currently discussing a set of regulations to enable future exploitation activities. On the other hand, multilateral negotiations are taking place for the development of an internationally legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (referred to as the proposed ‘BBNJ’ Instrument). Both processes offer a unique opportunity to foster an ecosystem approach to management (EAM) in ABNJ. In this article, we elaborate on options for stronger governance integration and the development of a coherent and collaborative interplay between these two processes. To this end, we explore the potential of Regional Environmental Management Plans (REMPs) established by the ISA as a case study to contribute to global biodiversity conservation, and the opportunity for the proposed BBNJ Instrument to promote overarching coherence to biodiversity conservation in ABNJ, premised on EAM. We conclude that the proposed BBNJ Instrument could have a pivotal role to streamline multilateral action for the conservation of biodiversity in ABNJ by adopting an ambitious, overarching environmental vision and strategic goals, accompanied by strong implementation and enforcement mechanisms.

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“…Second, who assesses the quality of baselines? Within the ISA, the LTC is the primary body that reviews environmental data, although constraints on the LTC's time and expertise in the fields of environmental management and marine biology are well known 15 (Jaeckel, 2017b, ch 8.3;Ginzky et al, 2020).…”

Section: Current Governance Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the quality of environmental baselines for deep seabed mining

2022

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Generating environmental baseline knowledge is a prerequisite for evaluating and predicting the effects of future deep seabed mining on the seafloor and in the water column. Without baselines, we lack the information against which to assess impacts and therefore cannot decide whether or not they pose an acceptable risk to the marine environment. At present, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is the international regulator for seabed mining, requires contractors engaged in mineral exploration to establish geological and environmental baselines for their respective contract areas. However, there are no criteria for evaluating what a robust baseline entails. This paper seeks to address this gap by not only analyzing the role and importance of baselines for environmental management but also suggesting criteria for evaluating the quality of baselines. Such criteria (which we present in tabular format) should include at least a minimum amount of technical information, based on best available scientific information and process, in standardized format to enable comparison between contractors and regional synthesis. These criteria should also allow baselines to be used for before-after comparisons through the choice of appropriate zones for comparison of impacts, and to prepare and test a suite of monitoring indicators and their metrics. Baseline studies should identify uncertainties, vulnerable species and habitats, and include transparent reporting as well as exchange with independent scientists and other stakeholders. The quality criteria suggested in this paper build on the ISA’s existing Mining Code and seek to support the development of a more standardized catalogue of requirements for environmental baselines. This will allow states, mining operators, the ISA, and the public to gain a better understanding of the environmental impacts of seabed mining and available mitigation measures.

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Strengthening the International Seabed Authority's knowledge-base: Addressing uncertainties to enhance decision-making

Cited by 23 publications

References 16 publications

Defining Strategic Environmental Goals and Objectives for the Management of Deep-sea Mining Operations in the Seabed Beyond National Jurisdiction

Defining Strategic Environmental Goals and Objectives for the Management of Deep-sea Mining Operations in the Seabed Beyond National Jurisdiction

Towards an Ecosystem Approach to Management in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: REMPs for Deep Seabed Mining and the Proposed BBNJ Instrument

Evaluating the quality of environmental baselines for deep seabed mining

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