Environmentalists warn against seabed mining

Trans-Tasman Resources' integrated mining vessel would be tethered by four anchors, have a crew of 140, a helipad and operate 24/7. Credit: TTR

Operators and environmentalists have called on the government to take urgent steps to stop the unwholesome exploitation of the country’s seabed.

Speaking recently at the 4th annual symposium of the African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative on Tuesday in Lagos, hosted by Sustainable Ocean Alliance, a non-governmental organisation, a former Director of the Marine Environment Management Department at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr Felicia Mogo, advised that adequate environmental regulations would be needed for specific and enforceable standards to save the seabed from destruction.

She emphasised that Nigeria needed a strong grasp of the current state of its theoretical, geographical, biophysical, and historical area of interest in the sea, to provide good governance and regulatory framework for deep seabed mining.

Mogo, who is also the founder and president of the African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative, added that the marine environment and ecosystems are invaluable to the health and sustainability of the planet.

She stated that those diverse environments, including rivers, seas, oceans, ecosystems, coral reefs, mangroves, and deep-sea habitats, offer critical services, such as supporting biodiversity, regulating climate, and sustaining economies through fisheries, tourism, mineral exploration and extraction, and coastal protection.

“Technology is revolutionising deep seabed exploration, significantly enhancing our ability to manage coastal zones and protect the environment. The moratorium on mining must be sustained as there is growing support for halting deep seabed mining until robust regulations and scientific evidence are in place,” she advised.

According to Mogo, there is a need for the country also to have a strong grasp of its governance and regulatory climate policies, look at opportunities as well as challenges in its attainment, and existing informative case studies globally that might serve as comparators.

“All this information would help us to identify actionable ways of moving forward,” she said.

She mentioned that Nigeria must develop national policies that align with international standards and build capacity in marine geology training, environmental impact assessment, and maritime law.

“Emphasis must also be on research and exploration, mapping resources, and understanding environmental impacts. Nigeria would require significant infrastructural improvements including ports and processing facilities. This would demand large-scale investments and efficient planning,” she added.

Mogo mentioned that Nigeria as a member of the comity of nations was contemplating the diversification of the economy through blue economic development.

“Part of the blue economy initiatives is deep seabed mining because of its potential to provide essential materials for renewable technologies enhancing recycling efforts and diversifying supply chains,” she averred.

An environmentalist and lecturer at the Lagos State University, Dr Isa Elegbede, said that deep-sea mining could severely harm marine biodiversity and ecosystems if it is carried out in an unsustainable manner.

Elegbede explained that rising demand for minerals, and metals, recent technological advancement, scarcity of resources from conventional mining population growth, and increase in consumption had brought an increase in the mining of the seabed.

According to the Chairman of Sustainable Ocean Alliance in Nigeria and convener of the conference, Adenike Adeiga, the ocean is threatened by various human activities and precautions must be taken to guard against further negative impacts on the seabed.

She noted that the importance of the marine environment cannot be overemphasised, adding that it supports humans’ livelihoods by providing food security and regulating the climate.

“Today, as you may know, the nations of the world are about to make a decision that would either secure or threaten our future.

“Now, we are gathered not just to discuss the challenges but to take decisive action on behalf of the deep seabed. Aside from the over 10,000 species discovered in the deep sea, there is a discovery that the polymetallic nodules found on the seabed can produce oxygen. It is such a fragile ecosystem,” Adeiga said.