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. South African context Marine phosphate mining

This fact sheet by the Centre for Environmental Rights details the environmental and socio-economic risks associated with marine phosphate mining in South Africa. It focuses on three prospecting rights granted to Green Flash Trading 251, Green Flash Trading 257, and Diamond Fields International, arguing that such activities would cause irreversible damage to marine ecosystems, threaten the fishing industry, and occur within a deficient legal and governance framework.

• The Department of Mineral Resources granted three prospecting rights for marine phosphate between 2012 and 2014 to Green Flash Trading 251 (Pty) Ltd, Green Flash Trading 257 (Pty) Ltd, and Diamond Fields International Ltd. These rights cover vast areas: Green Flash Trading 251 covers 63,637 square kilometres, Green Flash Trading 257 covers 44,389 square kilometres, and Diamond Fields International covers 47,468 square kilometres. 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.
• Marine phosphate mining is projected to cause severe and potentially irreversible damage to seabed habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. Specific impacts include the direct destruction of seabed ecosystems and spawning, breeding, and feeding habitats for fish, the release of hazardous substances such as heavy metals, methane, hydrogen sulphide, and radioactive materials, the burial and smothering of marine organisms, and reduced light penetration affecting photosynthesis. Recovery of these habitats to pre-disturbed states would only occur on geological time scales.
• Seabed mining threatens the socio-economic stability of the fishing industry, particularly South Africa's only Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fishery. The deep-sea trawling industry alone employs 12,000 people and generates approximately R4 billion in annual revenue. Other impacted fisheries include hake longline, tuna pole, small pelagics, squid, and rock lobster. Additionally, the industry supports 2,900 local rights holders in commercial fishing and approximately 1,660 small-scale fishers in the Western Cape.
• The document argues that the economic benefits of seabed mining are marginal compared to the fishing industry. Citing a feasibility study for the Sandpiper Project in Namibia, it notes that a massive operation removing 5.5 million tonnes of sediment per year would only provide 150 full-time jobs over a 35-year lifetime, and such specialist roles are unlikely to be filled by local workers.
• The granting of prospecting rights was marked by irregularities, including inadequate public participation and flawed Environmental Management Plans described as 'cut and paste' jobs. There are allegations that Green Flash Trading 251 and 257 were set up as separate entities to circumvent Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) provisions against the concentration of mineral resources in the control of a single applicant.
• South Africa's legal and governance frameworks are deemed inadequate for managing bulk marine sediment mining. The MPRDA is geared toward terrestrial mining and lacks specific regulatory instruments for offshore environments. Furthermore, seabed mining would likely violate the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), which requires a precautionary approach and the avoidance of ecosystem disturbance—both of which the document claims are impossible with seabed mining.

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. South African context Marine phosphate mining. 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. South African context Marine phosphate mining. 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. South African context Marine phosphate mining |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. South African context Marine phosphate mining}}, 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} }