SPC Geoscience Division

With fisheries as Kiribati’s main economic resource for a growing population, there is an imperative to find other income sources.

“This is where seabed mineral exploration and mining is important,” said Mr Tearinaki Tanielu, a Geologist, working as the Minerals Officer for the Kiribati Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development.

“As a nation we are working toward adding more prosperity for people to make their lives better, but at the same time with little or no impact on our environment.”

He said that on a global level, seabed systems are not fully understood, and that there are policy and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed, adding greater complexity to the whole issue, and that it would be necessary for Kiribati to first develop technical and scientific knowledge and the appropriate policies so that the country has the capacity to undertake deep seabed mineral exploration and exploitation.