SEABED MINING: RETENTION OF AN OVERALL PERSPECTIVE

A position statement by Dr Allan Heydorn and Prof Michael Orren arguing for a precautionary approach to seabed mining, emphasizing the interdependence of marine ecosystems and the risks to fisheries and global food security.

• The authors identify four critical perspectives for evaluating seabed mining: the global need for sustainable minerals, the protection of existing economically important activities, the preservation of renewable food resources essential for human survival, and the urgent need to prioritize recycling over the search for new resources to avoid further environmental degradation.
• Seabed mining poses systemic risks to the marine environment because it requires cutting large swaths of the seabed, unlike oil and gas wells which are localized. Potential hazards include the direct disturbance of benthic communities, the displacement of free-swimming organisms via noise and pollution, the creation of sediment plumes that reduce light penetration and inhibit feeding, the blanketing of the seafloor, the disruption of phytoplankton (which absorbs CO2 and releases O2), and the mobilization of toxic elements.
• The authors argue that sub-surface benthic communities are fundamental to the entire marine food web, underpinning all bottom, mid-water, and pelagic fisheries.
• There is significant skepticism in Namibia and South Africa regarding foreign seabed mining companies, particularly concerning the high risk to established fisheries and the plausibility of assurances that environmental impacts can be contained.
• The authors contend that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for seabed mining must include open and proper quantification of the entire mining scope, including clear delineation of areas, oceanographic assessments, processing methods at sea and on land, dumping practices, and the fate of effluents.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2014). SEABED MINING: RETENTION OF AN OVERALL PERSPECTIVE. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Heydorn-and-Orren-Position-Statement-on-Seabed-Mining.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. SEABED MINING: RETENTION OF AN OVERALL PERSPECTIVE. 2014. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Heydorn-and-Orren-Position-Statement-on-Seabed-Mining.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=SEABED MINING: RETENTION OF AN OVERALL PERSPECTIVE |date=15 August 2014 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Heydorn-and-Orren-Position-Statement-on-Seabed-Mining.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2014seabed, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{SEABED MINING: RETENTION OF AN OVERALL PERSPECTIVE}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Heydorn-and-Orren-Position-Statement-on-Seabed-Mining.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }