World renowned scientists were the first to sound the alarm about seabed mining. This unfortunate practice, which is being rapidly adopted by companies and countries alike, would make permanent scars on our oceans. The International Seabed Authority is completing regulations for this controversial practice. At the same time, scientists are raising awareness about the vulnerability of the deep-sea environment and the millions of species that inhabit it.
Scientists estimate that the deep seabed is home to millions of species. All of these species depend on the hard substrate offered by polymetallic nodules for their attachment. Matthias Haeckel from GEOMAR, who is involved with the research expedition, underscores the importance of the connection between these organisms and their environment. He adds that the fauna can only flourish in these conditions, as they attach to the hard substrate of the nodule. In it, he stresses the existential threat of the losses we stand to face if we extract these nodules.
Recent lessons learned from the DEEP REST project provide more context to the problem. They caution, “When we take nodules off the sea floor, we don’t know what we’re losing, only that it’s gone, forever.” These animals could go extinct, with no hope of return. This hastily planned initiative underscores a host of ethical and environmental issues with seabed mining that advocates should consider.
The Impact of Nodule Removal
In newly published research from the MiningImpact project, we’ve uncovered a startling reality. This vacuuming for nodules obliterates population densities and biodiversity in vast swaths of the ocean floor. Yet this disruption often results in permanent shifts in ecosystem structure and function. It was a crucial observation made by Jozee Sarrazin, then a researcher at the French Institute for Ocean Science. He reported that after nodule extraction, the ecosystems require decades to return to baseline.
To date, all the restoration actions we’ve tried as part of our DEEP REST initiative have been temporary. As Sarrazin describes, ecosystems do not bounce back after only a few years. Though sobering, this observation reflects the urgent challenges we are up against. She cautions that recovery times can extend into millennia. This raises serious questions about the efficacy of restoration efforts to even begin to compensate for the harmful effects of mining.
Additionally, Sabine Gollner, a biologist at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research has been researching possible restoration techniques. Her research team constructed artificial nodules out of deep-sea clay and deposited them at different depths, around 4,500 m. We hope this research will help us develop a better understanding of the dynamics of restoration and the paths to success. Gollner admits with such slow growth rates in the deep sea, it would take many more years to know if the restoration is effective or at what scale.
The Seabed as a Global Resource
The seabed is an incredibly important and one of the last unexplored frontiers on planet Earth. It contains precious metals necessary for creating innovative technologies such as electric vehicles. As global demand for these minerals continues to skyrocket, producers and nations are looking more than ever at these lucrative deposits. This new race to extract minerals poses serious environmental concerns and sustainability questions.
Researchers emphasize the need for restoration goals to be part of mining regulations. Gollner supports the establishment of strict guidelines in the mining code, which is currently being negotiated by member states of the International Seabed Authority. She focuses on the need to have restoration efforts at the table. Yet, she argues, what we know now is insufficient to get us to the environmental targets we’ve committed ourselves to. She makes the case of why it needs to be included. She signals that, at this point, it is not viable to be relied upon in meeting established climate targets.
The International Seabed Authority’s ongoing negotiations aim to balance the economic interests in seabed mining with the need for environmental protection. A science-based and appropriate approach is absolutely critical to avoid making permanent and potentially catastrophic losses in biodiversity and ecosystem services.