Mining the oceans

Will humans exploit or protect the continental shelf and deep seabed?

The seabed of the world’s oceans is rich in mineral resources but also includes unique and little-known habitats and species. Will we see improved management and protection of the marine environment or further serious degradation of the oceans through seabed mining?

Clive Schofield and Aline Jaeckel

Figure 1 Maritime zones under UNCLOS

Global ocean governance is fundamentally geographical. The key multilateral treaty governing the oceans is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). UNCLOS provides for a series of maritime zones as shown in Figure 1:

■ the territorial sea out to 12 nautical miles (1 nautical mile = 1,852 m)