SESSION 5: Environmental and Sustainable Development Aspects of Mineral
Development
What is envisaged as the key environmental issues related to mineral
development and how does the region prepare?
GROUP 3
 Terrestrial
o Pollution from tailings to water sources, lagoon areas
o Rehabilitating mined areas for further use
o Changes to environment inc vulnerability to natural hazards
o Bio accumulation from toxic metals
o Atmospheric pollution
o Loss of land for other issues ie agriculture
o Inc in carbon footprint from deforestation
o Loss of habitat terrestrial to coast
o Loss of biodiversity
 Shallow
o Heavy metal bioaccumulation impacting food chain. Impact on
ecosystem.
o O2 depletion
o Sedimentation affecting water flow and navigation
o Removing coastal protection ie berms, beaches. Inc erosion
o Pollution and damage to recreational areas used by communities
and for tourism
o Inc turbidity of water column and smothering of columns
o Changes in water column Stratification.
o Changes in marine communities
o Changes in geomorphology of seabed impacting navigation
channels, rec activity
o Changes in wave heights and potential risk to coastal
communities
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 Deepsea
o Relatively smaller footprint compared to land activities
o Transboundary issues for controlling environmental effects
o Fisheries impacts
o Health and safety
o Plume effects. Sedimentation on surrounding habitats
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Pollution from ships
Treatment of sewerage
Toxicity issues re: SMS for non-vent fauna
Changes in community (animals)
Loss of species
Slow recovery rates once deep sea disturbances to nat. equil.
Ships atmospheric pollution
 Region address issues
 Replanting trees in affected areas
 Develop mitigation strategies as part of EIA process. Eg
faunal relocation/ artificial habitats
 Developing regulatory frameworks
 Setting up protected areas/ set aside areas
 Communicating environmental effects
 Use precautionary principles to developing resource.
 Long term monitoring programme
 Need for Baseline studies and EIA
 Establish clear management objectives
 Literature review to establish knowns and unknowns
GROUP 2
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Destruction of biological communities and ecological system
Deforestation
Waste
Air pollution
Acid in the water
Tailings placement
Carbon footprint
Treatment to endangered species
Water system in rivers polluting
Living org in water
Deep sea fauna threatened
Region to prepare
 EIA to be carried out
 Environmental Acts to be revised/developed
 Environmental Policies and Regulations in place
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Environmental Management Plans
Baseline studies carried out
Governance structures and mechanisms established
Legislative framework
Education and awareness plans in place
Cultural and social preparedness
Capacity development in key roles at regional and national
Knowledge gaps
Monitoring
GROUP 1. Focus on DSM. 3 strata Surface, Pelagic and Benthic
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Fisheries
Change in chemical composition
Turbidity
Environment
Impact on benthic environment and ecosystem
Sediment plumes within the water level
Transboundary sediment transportation
Potential concerns relating to oil spills
Preparation - Regional approach involving PICTs
 Baseline studies of Surface, Pelagic and Benthic environments
 Build capacity within the region to train environmentalists and
scientists
 Undertaking regional skills programme
 Create a proper zone to ensure that the ecosystem can continue to
produce.
 Information sharing on how ecosystem and environment responds to
DSM activities
 Plans to inform all stakeholders. TRANSPARENCY. Engagement with
communities.
 Containment plan for potential oil spills. DM plan in place
 More marine minerals surveys.
 Improved technologies
 Environment Assessment Plan in place
 Build a multipurpose ship for DSM, data collection, fisheries and
monitoring plus any related activities
GENERAL COMMENTS
Any minerals exploration will incur environmental impacts. Aim to minimize
the impacts. ‘Acceptable level of damage’
Early spatial management to ensure there are large areas where mining will
not occur given that science cannot provide answers on potential impacts in
the short term.
Robust risk management framework to understand risk and uncertainties in
progressing exploration.
Opportunities through Geohab to be better understand interactions between
deep sea fauna and the deep sea environment
Regional DSM agreement (similar to Fisheries agreement)
s