Defining Strategic Environmental Goals and Objectives for the Management of Deep-Sea Mining Operations in the Seabed Beyond National Jurisdiction

After the inconclusive 2nd part of the 28th Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in July 2023, there were concerns that ISA would start accepting exploitation applications for deep-sea mining with neither a full regulatory framework in place nor a general policy related to the conservation of our marine environment. At this time, the environmental management of deep-sea mining by ISA is cursory and lacks strategic aims regarding the preservation of deep-sea ecosystems. This makes ISA unable to fulfill its environmental stewardship mandate as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. To overcome this inability, we propose that ISA needs to define Strategic Environmental Goals and Objectives by carrying out a Strategic Environmental Assessment of deep-sea mining across all regions, with broader stakeholder engagement and considerations for cumulative and long-term effects. This will allow ISA to develop the first strategic environmental policy for the Area under its jurisdiction to protect deep-sea ecosystems.