Dominican Rep calls for delay in start of seabed mining

The Dominican Republic called for a delay in plans to start seabed mining beyond a country’s territorial waters until there is an adequate regulatory legal framework.

The request was made within the framework of the 28th council session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which ended March 31, by ambassador Edward Pérez, permanent representative of the Dominican Republic at the ISA, which is based in Kingston, Jamaica.

“With this decision, the Dominican Republic is being consistent with the basic principles of our environmental legislation. The Dominican Republic is convinced that mining should not begin until an adequate regulatory legal framework is established, based on sufficient scientific knowledge for the protection of the marine environment," the ambassador said, according to local media reports.

The country made the decision after an intergovernmental meeting led by the foreign ministry, with the participation of the environment and natural resources ministry, the energy and mines ministry and the maritime affairs authority (ANAMAR).

However, specialized outlet Climática reported that after two weeks of negotiations the ISA failed to establish a common position on underwater mining during the last meeting of its council, amid pressure from a group of companies and countries, led by Nauru and Canada’s The Metals Company.

“Countries must seek greater evidence and scientific certainty to ensure the protection of the marine environment. It is necessary to carry out rigorous and transparent impact evaluations, while the ecosystem approach and the polluter pays principle must be implemented,” Pérez added in his presentation.

The official argued that members of the scientific community have warned that deep sea mining risks the extinction of unique species that form the first rungs of the food chain.

“It is unknown to what extent the fauna depends on the mineral nodules that are intended to be extracted from the seabed. The Dominican Republic understands that the common heritage of humanity must be managed and conserved responsibly,” Pérez said.

The ISA was created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982. It is in charge of organizing, controlling and managing the activities of exploration and exploitation of resources on the seabed outside countries’ territorial waters and is made up of 167 member states and the European Union.

The growing demand for raw materials and the depletion of many of the terrestrial deposits has caused a significant number of companies and countries to turn their attention to the oceans.

According to Climática, the ISA has been trying to establish regulations on the activity for more than a decade, as well as deadlines to regulate it.