FACT SHEET 2 Marine phosphate mining would have severe and irreversible impacts on marine ecosystems and fishery resources and associated jobs, livelihood and food security benefits sustained by our fishing industry

The document details the environmental and socio-economic risks associated with three marine phosphate prospecting rights granted in South Africa. It asserts that bulk marine sediment mining would lead to the permanent destruction of seabed habitats, threatening biodiversity and the fishing industry, which provides significant employment and revenue in the Western Cape. The text further argues that South Africa's legal framework, specifically the MPRDA and NEMA, is insufficient to regulate or monitor such activities, potentially leading to an unregulated industry with irreversible ecological consequences.

• Marine phosphate mining is projected to cause severe and potentially irreversible damage to seabed habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. Specific risks include the direct destruction of spawning, breeding, and feeding habitats for fish, the release of hazardous substances like radioactive materials and heavy metals, and the burial of marine organisms through sediment smothering.
• The fishing industry in the Western Cape provides substantial economic contributions that would be threatened by seabed mining. Commercial fishing contributes 2% to the Gross Geographic Product of the Western Cape and supports 27,000 direct and 100,000 indirect jobs. Specifically, the deep-sea trawling industry, South Africa's only Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fishery, employs 12,000 people and generates approximately R4 billion in annual revenue.
• The socio-economic benefits of seabed mining are likely marginal compared to the fishing industry. Referencing the Sandpiper Project in Namibia as a comparison, a large-scale operation removing 5.5 million tonnes of sediment per year was estimated to provide only 150 full-time jobs over its 35-year lifetime.
• Three prospecting rights were granted between 2012 and 2014 to Green Flash Trading 251 (Pty) Ltd, Green Flash Trading 257 (Pty) Ltd, and Diamond Fields International Ltd. These areas overlap with several proposed offshore marine protected areas, including Childs Bank, Benguela Bank, Benguela Muds, Cape Canyon, Browns Bank Complex, Agulhas Bank Complex, and Southwest Indian Seamounts.
• South Africa's legal and governance frameworks are deemed inadequate for managing bulk marine sediment mining. The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) is geared toward terrestrial mining and lacks specific regulatory instruments for offshore environments, while the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) requirements for a precautionary approach and the avoidance of ecosystem disturbance would likely be infringed.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). FACT SHEET 2 Marine phosphate mining would have severe and irreversible impacts on marine ecosystems and fishery resources and associated jobs, livelihood and food security benefits sustained by our fishing industry. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CER_Factsheet2_web.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. FACT SHEET 2 Marine phosphate mining would have severe and irreversible impacts on marine ecosystems and fishery resources and associated jobs, livelihood and food security benefits sustained by our fishing industry. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CER_Factsheet2_web.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=FACT SHEET 2 Marine phosphate mining would have severe and irreversible impacts on marine ecosystems and fishery resources and associated jobs, livelihood and food security benefits sustained by our fishing industry |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CER_Factsheet2_web.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndfact, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{FACT SHEET 2 Marine phosphate mining would have severe and irreversible impacts on marine ecosystems and fishery resources and associated jobs, livelihood and food security benefits sustained by our fishing industry}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CER_Factsheet2_web.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }