The Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisation (PIANGO) has cautioned Pacific Islands government on the challenges of seabed mining to marine environments, cultures and livelihoods. PIANGO executive director supports the prohibit of seabed mining as it is becoming a threat to blue growth.
Specifically, Emele Duituturaga, PIANGO Executive Director, has called for a ban on seabed mining highlighting that the blue growth narrative by International organizations includes seabed mining despite threats to fisheries and ocean livelihoods in the region.
She continued stating that there’s a great insight that biodiversity and life under the sea will be affected.
Therefore we are urging our governments to be responsible on this issue and not make hasty decisions, have a clear understanding of what is involved.
In addition, a three-day workshop was conducted on deep seabed mining in Tonga last week as part of a process of preparing countries that are members of the International Seabed Authority for the Authority’s Regulation on Deep Seabed Mining to be put in place in 2020.
International Seabed Authority Secretary-General Michael Lodge commented that
For the Pacific Island countries fully dependent on the ocean for their survival, deep sea mineral resources have the potential to expand their resource base, build capacity and expertise and make an essential contribution to the development of their sustainable Blue Economy.
He highlighted that the Pacific Region is a leader when it comes to developing a sustainable deep-sea mineral industry.
Lodge supported that Pacific Island countries are fully-aware on how to use marine resources sustainably and fulfil their responsibilities to the marine ecosystem.
Moreover, Lodge reported that Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Cook Islands have conducted or are currently undertaking promising mineral exploration projects in national waters.
Yet Duituturaga commented that
This workshop is pedaling deep sea mining to our governments but who will benefit? If mining was the panacea to the economic issues of the Pacific, we’d have solved all our problems long ago. Instead the environmental and social impacts of mining have made our peoples poorer.
Up to now, 29 contracts for exploration have been signed with the International Seabed Authority and two more applications are in the pipeline.
