01-Iucn-wwf Present. Dsm Ws 6.11

8/6/2019 01-Iucn-wwf Present. Dsm Ws 6.11

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IUCN Oceania Regional Office

Deep Sea Mineral Resources

The Challenge Of Environmental Sustainability

Dr. Jan H. Steffen

IUCN Oceania

SPC-EU EDF10 Deep Sea Minerals (DSM) Project

1st Regional Workshop


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IUCN in a Nutshell

> 1,000 organizations 81 States 110 government agencies > 800 NGOs

10,000 individual scientists andexperts in 6 Commissions

Secretariat with 1,100 staff inmore than 60 countries


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The Deep Sea

Oceans cover 71% of the Earthssurface 50% of the surface of the Earth covered

by ocean more than 3,000 meters deep

One of the largest reservoirs ofbiodiversity on the planet

One of the least studied ecosystems Only 0.0001% of the deep seafloor has been

subject to biological investigations

About 50% of animals collected from areasdeeper than 3,000m are new species

Gold corals (Gerardia spp.) found onseamounts live for up to 1,800 years


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Deep Sea Habitats with Mining Potential

Abyssal plains Polymetallic nodules (nickel, copper, cobalt, and

manganese)

Upper flanks of guyot-type seamounts Manganese crusts (cobalt, some vanadium,

molybdenum and platinum)

Hydrothermal vents of mid-ocean ridges andback-arc spreading centers

Polymetallic sulphide deposits (copper, lead andzinc, gold and silver)


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Mining Impacts On Deep Sea Biodiversity

Dredging for nodules Disturbance of large seabed areas Dispersal of sediment clouds

Polymetallic sulphide mining Destruction of active and inactive

hydrothermal vents and their associatedcommunities

Dispersal of toxic materials

Extraction of cobalt rich crusts Destruction of benthic seamount

communities and dependent fauna

Sediment accumulation rates in theabyssal zones are low, approximately

0.5mm per thousand years

High rate of endemism on hydrothermalvents

~ 500 species described, 90% are endemic Biomass around vents can be 5001,000

times higher than in the surrounding deep

sea

High rate of endemism on seamounts 30% -50% 200 of 100,000 seamounts sampled Rocky substrates are rare habitats,

occupying 4% of the sea floor


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Related Environmental Impacts

Offsite impacts due to the dispersion oftoxic and particulate material in oceancurrents and from sea surface

discharges

Accumulative effects Eutrophication effects

Accidents involving mining gear andsupport vessels

Morgan et al., 1999


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Deep Sea Fisheries

Source: UBC


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Minimizing Mining Impact

International Seabed Authority PIFS-SOPAC: Madang Guidelines 1999

International Marine Minerals Society -Code for Environmental Management of

Marine Mining

CBD-COP 8, Curitiba, 2006 Marine andcoastal biological diversity: Conservation

and sustainable use of deep seabedgenetic resources beyond the limits ofnational jurisdiction


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CBD Guidance on MPAs

CBD-COP 8, Curitiba 2006

Encourage the establishment of MPAs beyondnational jurisdiction

Devise new mechanisms/instruments to achieveeffective and enforceable MPAs and networks

CBD-COP 9, Bonn 2008

Adoption of CBD criteria for identifying ecologicallyor biologically significant areas (EBSA) in need of

protection

Adoption of scientific guidance for designingrepresentative networks of MPAs


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Progress Towards 2012 MPA Targets

5096 Designated MPAs worldwide (WDPA), 377 proposed Pacific Region: 2576 MPAs 0.8 % of oceans protected, 0.5 % in high seas (12.8 % terrestrial) Most MPAs are under-resourced, offering little in the way of real protection

2012 WSSD/CBD goals

An effectively managed,representative, global

system of marine

protected areas (MPAs)

covering 10% of all

marine ecological regions,

comprising both multipleuse areas and strictly

protected areas


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How long will it take ?


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How are PICS doing ?

Most PICS are currently in theprocess of establishing

representative MPA networks

Many PICS do not have the datato inform this process fully

Bold decisions: Phoenix IslandsProtected Area

Managing Straddling Stocks andHighly Migratory Species require

use of Precautionary Principle


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GOBI

A global partnership

To establish and support internationalscientific collaboration to assist States andrelevant regional and global organisations to

identify EBSAs using the best availablescientific data, tools, and methods

To provide guidance on how the CBDsscientific criteria can be interpreted andapplied towards management, including

representative networks of marine protected

areas

To assist in developing regional analyses withrelevant organisations and stakeholders www.gobi.org


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IUCN

Coordination

Advisory Board

SCB

DFAO

GEFIMO

IOC

ISAUNEP

UNDP

Science Board

AquaMaps

BirdLife InternationalCensus of Marine Life

CenSeamCSIRO

Duke University, MGEL

IOC/UNESCOMCBI

OBISTOPP

UNEP-WCMCUNU-IAS

Data,

Research,

EBSA

Analyses &Meta-

analyses

EBSA ANALYSES and

MAPS

To be presented at:

-CBD SBSTTA 14 (2010)-CBD COP 10 (2010)-CBD COP 11 (2012)

GOBI


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Marine Spatial Planning Status & Needs

Geological resource mapping vs biological resource mapping

Applications/granting of exploration licenses in Fiji, Vanuatu, SolomonIslands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Palau, Federated

States of Micronesia, Cook Islands, Kiribati

Biological data, as well as policy, legislation, regulations required onregional and national level

Lack of funding & technical / human capacity for biological datacollection

Integration of environmental assessment costs in license fees and fiscalframeworks


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GOODS

Biogeographic classification Assist governments in further identifying

ways to safeguard marine biodiversity inmarine areas beyond national jurisdiction

and in support of ocean management

measures, including MPAs

Planning tool to assimilate multiple layersof information and extrapolation of existingdata into large bioregions or provinces

assemblages of flora, fauna and the supportingenvironmental factors contained within distinct butdynamic spatial boundaries


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Seamount Summit Depths


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Lower Bathyal Provinces: 800-3000 m


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Abyssal Provinces: 3500-6500 m


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Marine Eco-regions of the World


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DSM - Environmental Priorities

Strategic environmental assessments of the likely impacts of deep-seamining on the marine environment, including the potential cumulative effectsin conjunction with other human activities

Prepared and implemented ecosystem-based oceans managementstrategies, laws and regulations that:

Collected adequate baseline information on the marine environment wheremining could potentially occur including the location of sensitive deep seahabitats/ecosystems

Established a comprehensive network of well-managed protected areas toprotect vulnerable marine ecosystems, ecologically or biologically significant

areas, depleted, threatened or endangered species, and representative

examples of deep-sea ecosystems

Adopted a precautionary approach that assumes that deep-sea mining will haveadverse ecological impacts in the absence of compelling evidence to the contrary


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Our Responsibility to Future Generations

Humans changed the way the world works. Now they have to changethe way they think about it, too

Source: The Economist, Welcome to the Anthropocene, May 26, 2011


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Vinaka


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CBD - COP 8 Decision VIII/21

Curitiba, 20 - 31 March 2006

Marine and coastal biological diversity: Conservation and sustainable use of deep seabed genetic

resources beyond the limits of national jurisdiction

The Conference of the Parties

1. Notes that deep seabed ecosystems beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, includinghydrothermal vent, cold seep, seamount, coldwater coral and sponge reef ecosystems, contain

genetic resources of great interest for their biodiversity value and for scientific research as well as

for present and future sustainable development and commercial applications;

2. Recognizes that given the vulnerability and general lack of scientific knowledge of deep seabedbiodiversity, there is an urgent need to enhance scientific research and cooperation and to provide

for the conservation and sustainable use of these genetic resources in the context of theprecautionary approach;

3. Concernedabout the threats to genetic resources in the deep seabed beyond nationaljurisdiction, requests Parties and urges other States, having identified activities and processes

under their jurisdiction and control which may have significant adverse impacts on deep seabed

ecosystems and species in these areas, as requested in paragraph 56 of decision VII/5, to take

measures to urgently manage such practices in vulnerable deep seabed ecosystems with a view

to the conservation and sustainable use of resources, and report on measures taken as part ofthe national reporting process;


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4.Also invites Parties, other Governments, research institutions and other relevant organizationsto make available information on research activities related to deep seabed genetic resources

beyond the limits of national jurisdiction and ensure that the results of such marine scientificresearch and analysis, when available, are effectively disseminated through international

channels, as appropriate, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations

Convention on the Law of the Sea, and requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with

relevant organizations, to compile and further disseminate such information through the clearing-

house mechanism;

5. Expresses its awareness of a preliminary range of options which Parties and other States,individually or in cooperation, may utilize for the protection of deep seabed genetic resourcesbeyond national jurisdiction, which may include: (i) the use of codes of conduct, guidelines and

principles; and (ii) reduction and management of threats including through: permits and

environmental impact assessments; establishment of marine protected areas; prohibition of

detrimental and destructive practices in vulnerable areas; and emphasizes the needfor further

work in developing all of these options and other options, in particular within the framework of theUnited Nations;

6. Recognizes also that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea regulates activitiesin the marine areas beyond national jurisdiction, and urges Parties and other States to cooperatewithin the relevant international and/or regional organizations in order to promote the

conservation, management and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national

jurisdiction, including deep seabed genetic resources;


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7. Requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with the United Nations Division for OceanAffairs and the Law of the Sea, and other relevant international organizations, to further analyse

and explore options for preventing and mitigating the impacts of some activities to selectedseabed habitats and report the findings to future meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific,

Technical and Technological Advice;

8. Notes the existence of the scientific information generated through other programmes of workincluding that on protected areas;

9. Emphasizes the urgent need, especially in developing countries, to build capacities relating todeep seabed biodiversity, including taxonomic capacity; to promote scientific and technical

cooperation and technology transfer; and to exchange information regarding activities undertaken

within the deep seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.

01-Iucn-wwf Present. Dsm Ws 6.11

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