Check out the top stories from the deep, taken from coverage between 17-24 October 2022
El océano sigue a la espera de una protección global de sus fondos marinos
Source: EFE:Verde
With IGC5 predicted to resume in early 2023, and a meeting of the ISA on the near horizon, there are three key issues to look out for. ‘Trawling’, ‘Genetics’ and ‘Seabed Mining’ are recurring topics of debate and contention.
Shallow-water mining isn’t the eco alternative to deep-sea mining, study says
Source: Mongabay
Author: Cassie Freund
“To sidestep debates over the deep sea, some companies and countries are turning to shallow seabed mining, under the assumption that it’s more sustainable than deep-sea mining.”
A new study published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution has explored why shallow water mining should not be used as an alternative to deep sea exploitation. The process of mineral extraction still entails highly destructive dredging and is seeing catastrophic effects on shallow water biodiversity. Laura Kaikkonen, lead author of the paper said to Mongabay: “I can’t stress enough how important it is to maintain precautionary attitudes to the management of marine ecosystems.”