Identifying and mitigating potential impacts of seabed mining on whale, dolphins and other marine megafauna
- There is potential for environmental impacts associated with deep sea mining
- It is a relatively new technology with considerable uncertainty regarding the potential for environmental impacts
- In most mining locations, the biological environments are often poorly understood by comparison to terrestrial environments
- The potential for environmental impacts have also attracted considerable attention from NGOs, IGOs and other stakeholders
- There are currently no recognised international best practice guidelines for minimising or mitigating environmental impacts
- Regulators, therefore, often apply the precautionary approach
