Deep seabed mining and communities: A transdisciplinary approach to ecological risk assessment in the South Pacific

Amanda Reichelt-Brushett*, Judi Hewitt, Stefanie Kaiser, Rakhyun E. Kim, Ray Wood

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Deep-sea mineral extraction is a fledgling industry whose guiding principles, legislation, protocols, and regulations are still evolving. Responsible management of the industry is difficult when it is not clearly understood what biological and environmental diversity or ecosystem services may be at risk. But the industry's infancy provides an opportunity to address this challenge by stakeholder-led development and implementation of a multidisciplinary risk assessment framework. This article aims to present the findings of a workshop held in New Zealand that hosted stakeholders from a broad range of interests and regions in the South Pacific associated with the deep-sea mineral activity. The outputs provide stakeholder-informed ecological risk assessment approaches for deep-sea mining activities, identifying tools and techniques to improve the relevance of risk assessment of deep seabed mining projects to communities in the South Pacific. Discussions highlighted the importance of trust or respect among stakeholders, valuing the “life force” of the ocean, the importance of scientific data, and the complications associated with defining acceptable change. This research highlighted the need for a holistic transdisciplinary approach that connects science, management, industry, and community, an approach most likely to provide a “social license” to operate. There is also a need to revise traditional risk assessment methods to make them more relevant to stakeholders. The development of ecotoxicological tools and approaches is an example of how existing practices could be improved to better support deep-sea mineral management. A case study is provided that highlights the current challenges within the legislative framework of New Zealand. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;00:1–10.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)664-673
JournalIntegrated Environmental Assessment and Management
Volume18
Issue number3
Early online date2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
In 2014, the authors and contributors to the Deep‐Sea Minerals Project participated in a follow‐up workshop on “Reconciling mining and the sustainable development in the Pacific countries.” The workshop was organized by the Centre for Technological Research (CNRT, New Caledonia) and was supported by the Pacific‐Europe Network for Science Technology and Innovation (Pace‐Net Plus Programme). One of the focus groups considered deep marine mineral resources, highlighting new issues and challenges and suggesting innovative ways to harmoniously foster development while ensuring an equitable consideration of the environment, social costs, and economic benefits. Following this meeting, funding was awarded to the authors to run a multidisciplinary workshop in 2016 to develop stakeholder‐informed ecological risk assessment approaches for deep‐sea mining activities, identifying tools and techniques to improve the relevance of risk assessment of deep seabed mining projects to communities in the South Pacific.

Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge funding provided by the Pacific‐Europe Network for Science Technology and Innovation (Pace‐Net Plus Programme). S. K. was funded by the Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej (Poland) under the ULAM program. J. H. was partially funded by the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge, established by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise, New Zealand.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 SETAC

Keywords

  • Ecosystems services
  • Ecotoxicological tools
  • Indigenous knowledge
  • Seabed biodiversity
  • Social license

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Deep seabed mining and communities: A transdisciplinary approach to ecological risk assessment in the South Pacific'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this