The deep oceans are a fragile final frontier, largely unknown and untouched but mining companies and governments — other than those in Africa — are eyeing its mineral riches.
of international seabed — roughly the size of Mongolia — has already been set aside for mineral exploration in the Pacific and Indian oceans and along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge., a United Nations multilateral regulatory body, regulates deep seabed mining while also having an interest in its financial benefits.
The IUCN meeting is the world’s largest gathering of scientists, said Nishan Degnarain, an economic adviser to Mauritius. “If they are calling out seabed mining as fundamentally unsafe in the midst of the climate crisis, then these are important voices for governments to listen to.”, the executive director of WildOceans. “Deep sea mining is a very destructive process that damages the seafloor and ecosystems that we are still discovering and finding populated by diverse but fragile biodiversity.
Liziwe McDaid, the strategic lead for the nonprofit Green Connection, agreed. “The fact that the IUCN voted in favour of a ban on deep sea mining is important as it shows that the world is waking up to the need to protect our ecosystems.
Large tracts of the Indian Ocean have been leased to India, China and South Korea. “There is no need for humans to be taking such large risks against the environment.”The economic risks, too, will be large for Africa. “Seabed mining is focused on four main minerals, where African nations are some of the largest producers of high grade cobalt, nickel, manganese and copper. If these minerals are produced, countries like South Africa, Zambia, DRC and Gabon, will lose out as major producers.
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