SPC Geoscience Division

Deep Sea Minerals – At the 2009 Pacific Island Forum meeting, Leaders agreed a number of key priority areas for progressing the Pacific Plan including: “the development of a regional framework for deep sea minerals that shall be used by Pacific ACP States to formulate national legal instruments for the governance and administration of marine mineral resources”. Under Key Result Area 1 of the SPC-EU EDF10 Deep Sea Minerals (DSM) Project, a Regional Legislative and Regulatory Framework (RLRF) for Deep Sea Minerals Exploration and Exploitation has been developed to ensure (i) environmental protection, (ii) countries are prepared to meaningfully engage in this new industry, and (iii) long term sustainable benefits for the Pacific Islands Region.

The inaugural DSM Project regional workshop that was held in Nadi Fiji in June 2011 was an opportunity to bring together deep sea mineral experts around the world, representatives of Pacific ACP States as well as private sector and civil society to discuss various deep sea mineral issues and collectively identify priority areas and agree on a concerted way forward for the region.

Following the inaugural workshop, a Terms of Reference (ToR) for the development of the RLRF was prepared but it was not until the completion of the November 2011 International Workshop focusing on the environmental management needs for deep sea mineral activities that was organised by the International Seabed Authority (‘ISA’) in collaboration with the SPC through the DSM Project and the Government of Fiji that the RLRF was subsequently drafted.