COBALT-RICH FERROMANGANESE CRUSTS
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Environmental management
objectives
3.1
A key issue at the outset, before any exploration or extraction
occurs, is clearly defining the environmental objectives that will
guide the management of any mining operation. These will vary
regionally and nationally, but they are typically directed at two
broad goals:
• to maintain overall biodiversity and ecosystem health and
function (as mandated by international law); and
• to reduce, mitigate, and, where possible, prevent the im-
pacts of mining and pollution that can affect wider habitats
and ecosystems.
A further consideration is the integration of environmental man-
agement strategies with other efforts and agreements related
to the conservation and sustainable use of the marine environ-
ment. This includes national and regional initiatives, as well as
global frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diver-
sity’s process to identify ecologically or biologically significant
areas, and the UN General Assembly Resolutions to protect vul-
nerable marine ecosystems.
