A Cook Islands' environmentalist says he has no doubt the director of the Marae Moana marine reserve was "sacked" by the government over her opposition to sea-bed mining...This week, the government said it chose not to renew Ms Evans' contract so it could replace her with someone more attuned to
Despite uncertainty over the environmental impact, some Pacific countries are pushing ahead with plans to mine their seabeds for minerals - and New Zealand has offered a helping hand.
The Cook Islands will be ready to harvest precious metals from the ocean floor in just five years. Despite calls for a 10-year moratorium on seabed mining in the Pacific to allow time to conduct more environmental research, the Cooks are set to be the frontier of the new goldrush.
Jacqui Evans, who was this year recognised internationally for her work building Marae Moana, is being replaced as director of the marine park. It comes just six months after Evans was named a winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, described as the Green Nobel Prize.
Jacqui Evans has spoken out about why the Prime Minister dismissed her from her role as head of the Marae Moana marine reserve.
As the Cook Islands Government continues with its plans for seabed mining it has controversially dumped the person most closely associated with its famed Marae Moana. Jacqui Evans was dumped as a director of the huge marine reserve, something she was instrumental in establishing.
Scientists have explored less than one per cent of the deep sea. We know neither the extent of the habitats targeted by mining nor how the ecosystems will respond to it.
The high seas begin 200 nautical miles from coastal shores, beyond the jurisdiction of any country. Their vast expanse and distance from shore pose challenges for exploration and knowledge gathering. However, scientific expeditions in recent years have revealed that these areas, which make up nearly two-thirds of the world’s ocean, harbor an incredible array of species that provide essential services for life on Earth.
For over 40 years, hydrothermal vents and the communities that thrive on them have been a source of profound discovery for deep-sea ecologists. These ecosystems are found throughout the world on active plate margins as well as other geologically active features. In addition to their ecologic interest, hydrothermal vent fields are comprised of metallic ores, sparking a nascent industry that aims to mine these metal-rich deposits for their mineral wealth.
The former governor of Papua New Guinea's Madang province, Sir Arnold Amet, has renewed his call for the government to cancel sea bed mining licenses.This comes as Canadian miner Nautilus, in which the PNG government has a 15 percent stake, is fighting through the courts for its economic survival