THE GEOLOGY OF SEA-FLOOR MASSIVE SULPHIDES
41
Scientific knowledge is limited in deep sea SMS environ-
ments, but sufficient knowledge exists to guide initial envi-
ronmental management decisions.
The faunal communities of hydrothermal vent systems are
highly adapted to the specific environmental conditions of
vent sites (depth, temperature, and water chemistry), and
sites often have many vent-endemic species. These localized
communities may be highly vulnerable to disturbance from
mining operations that could affect entire vent fields. The
degree of connectivity between localized communities is un-
known for most species. However, because such communi-
ties form around naturally ephemeral venting, they may be
able to disperse and recolonize relatively quickly.
In contrast to the vent communities, the fauna of the surround-
ing non-hydrothermal area are often part of a wider regional
species pool, and their distributions are not as localized.
However, these species can be long-lived and slow-growing.
As a consequence, their overall populations may be less vul-
nerable to disturbance than vent communities, but very slow
to recover. Due to their wide distribution, disturbance from
mining activity is unlikely to affect the regional species pool.
Key Messages for Environmental Management
Management of any mining operation needs to consider the
range of faunal communities in the general area of mining.
Baseline studies of composition, distribution, and abun-
dance of organisms are necessary before exploitation begins,
and they must be followed by a regular monitoring program.
Multidisciplinary science is required, involving collaboration
among industry, academia/research organizations, relevant
communities or interest groups and government agencies.
Environmental management plans will be situation-specific,
but they are likely to combine best-practice mining operation
to reduce environmental impacts, spatial management that
protects similar areas and communities from impact, and
temporal actions that improve the chances of recolonization
of fauna in mined areas.
Continuation of the wide-ranging involvement from mining
companies, policymakers, lawyers, managers, economists, sci-
entists, conservation agencies, NGOs, and societal representa-
tives will be an important element in successful management of
the deep sea minerals sector in the Pacific Islands region.
