Cross Cuttin Theme 3

Environmental risk assessment and policy recommendations

Contributors

DNVGL, UKiel, ISA, BGR, UAlgarve, GEOMAR, SNF

Goals and objectives

Explore how the knowledge of the environmental impacts and risks as well as concepts for monitoring and spatial management of deep sea mining operations can be implemented into appropriate legal frameworks of ISA, the EU and individual countries.

Specific topics to be addressed are:

• Identification of pathways towards developing a sound methodology of risk assessment for the use of marine resources that takes into consideration the state of knowledge and evolving research on marine ecosystems.

• Propose methodologies for risk assessment of environmental hazard of plumes, like Weight of Evidence (WOE) and Environmental Hazard and Impact Identification (ENVID).

• Develop concepts for minimizing harmful impacts on the environment arising from mining, such as: spatial management planning of mining operations; defining criteria for preservation reference zones, conservation areas, additional marine protected areas; applying the concept of ‘good environmental status’ from environmental management

• Establishment of non-compliance procedures and a legal framework for a liability regime for environmental damage

• Information exchange with ISA and their contractors, EU, countries with marine mineral resources, mining-interested industry, NGOs

• Establish a systematic approach for estimating the overall benefits, costs and risks stemming from seabed operations, this implies undertaking cost-benefit and risk-benefit analysis.