| Abstract | Interest in mining the deep seabed is not
new; however, recent technological advances
and increasing global demand
for metals and rare-earth elements may
make it economically viable in the near
future ( 1). Since 2001, the International
Seabed Authority (ISA) has granted 26 contracts
(18 in the last 4 years) to explore for
minerals on the deep seabed, encompassing
~1 million km2 in the Pacific, Atlantic,
and Indian Oceans in areas
beyond national jurisdiction
( 2). However, as fragile habitat structures and
extremely slow recovery rates leave diverse
deep-sea communities vulnerable to physical
disturbances such as those caused by mining
( 3), the current regulatory framework could
be improved. We offer recommendations to
support the application of a precautionary
approach when the ISA meets later this July.
Deep-sea benthic ecosystems are globally
important reservoirs of biodiversity and
endemism that provide important ecosystem
services (e.g., carbon sequestration and
nutrient cycling) ( 4, 5) and include diverse
habitats (e.g., soft-sediment abyssal plains,
hydrothermal vents, seamounts, continental
slopes, and submarine canyons) ( 6). The deep
seabed also harbors substantial, untapped
mineral resources (e.g., polymetallic nodules
containing nickel, copper, cobalt, and
lithium; massive sulfides containing copper
and gold; and seamount crusts containing
cobalt, manganese, and rare-earth minerals)
( 1, 7). The challenge ahead is to find ways
to permit initial exploration, and ultimately
commercial exploitation, of seabed minerals
while sustaining the ecosystems that surround
them.
The seabed outs
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