THE GEOLOGY OF SEA-FLOOR MASSIVE SULPHIDES
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Environmental management
objectives
3.1
A key issue at the outset, before any exploration or extraction
occurs, is the clear definition of 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 impacts
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 (such as
national marine park declarations and in the case of the Pacif-
ic, the Noumea Convention for the protection of the natural re-
sources and environment of the South Pacific) as well as global
frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity’s
process to identify ecologically or biologically significant areas
and the UN General Assembly Resolutions to protect vulnerable
marine ecosystems.
Photo courtesy of GEOMAR.
