Marine Expert Statement Calling for a Pause to Deep-Sea Mining

Signed by 814 marine science & policy experts from over 44 countries

The deep sea is home to a significant proportion of Earth’s biodiversity, with most species yet to be discovered. The richness and diversity of organisms in the deep sea supports ecosystem processes necessary for the Earth’s natural systems to function. The deep ocean also constitutes more than 90% of the biosphere, and plays a key role in climate regulation, fisheries production, and elemental cycling. It is an integral part of the culture and well-being of local communities and the seafloor forms part of the common heritage of humankind. However, deep-sea ecosystems are currently under stress from a number of anthropogenic stressors including climate change, bottom trawling and pollution. Deep-sea mining would add to these stressors, resulting in the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning that would be irreversible on multi-generational timescales. Amongst the specific concerns over the impacts of deep-sea mining are:

  • the direct loss of unique and ecologically important species and populations as a result of the degradation, destruction or elimination of seafloor habitat, many before they have been discovered and understood;

  • the production of large, persistent sediment plumes that would affect seafloor and midwater species and ecosystems well beyond the actual mining sites;

  • the interruption of important ecological processes connecting midwater and benthic ecosystems;

  • the resuspension and release of sediment, metals and toxins into the water column, both from mining the seafloor and the discharge of mining wastewater from ships, detrimental to marine life including the potential for contamination of commercially important species of food fish such as tunas;

  • noise pollution arising from industrial machine activity on the ocean floor and the transport of ore slurries in pipes to the sea surface, that could cause physiological and behavioral stress to marine mammals and other marine species;

  • uncertain impacts on carbon sequestration dynamics and deep-ocean carbon storage.

There is a paucity of rigorous scientific information available concerning the biology, ecology and connectivity of deep-sea species and ecosystems, as well as the ecosystem services they provide. Without this information, the potential risks of deep-sea mining to deep-ocean biodiversity, ecosystems and functioning, as well as human well-being, cannot be fully understood. At the same time, a growing number of scientific reports (IPBES, IPCC, etc.) indicate that Earth's biodiversity is increasingly at risk of extinction.

For the reasons outlined above, we strongly recommend that the transition to the exploitation of mineral resources be paused until sufficient and robust scientific information has been obtained to make informed decisions as to whether deep-sea mining can be authorized without significant damage to the marine environment and, if so, under what conditions. The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) provides an opportune period in which to collect more information about the species and ecosystems that could be affected by deep-sea mining. As scientists, we deeply value evidence-based decision making, especially in instances as consequential as a global decision to open up an entirely new frontier of the ocean to large-scale industrial resource exploitation. The sheer importance of the ocean to our planet and people, and the risk of large-scale and permanent loss of biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem functions, necessitates a pause of all efforts to begin mining of the deep sea, in line with the precautionary principle,  and an acceleration of research so that we can gain a better understanding of what is at stake.

Statement signatories

Lucas A'Bear

Amin Abdallah

Dr. Juliano Palacios Abrantes

Dr. Mohamed Adel

Andreas Aditya Salim

Dr. Arturo Angulo Sibaja

Husamuddin Ahmadzai

Dr. Juan Jose Alava

Oscar Albornoz 

Dr. Joan Alfaro

Krisha Algoso

Dr. Diva Amon

Dr Jeremy Anbleyth-Evans

Dr. Jesper Andersen

Jada Tullos Anderson

Yochi Andrawina

Dr. Roberto Anitori

Diana Antochiw

Víctor Aramayo

Dr. Inés Aramendía

Gonzalo Araujo

Dr. Jeff Ardron

Homero Aridjis

Russell Arnott

Siti Indriasari Galuh Sekar Arum

Syd Ascione

Dr. Oliver Ashford

Victoria Assad

Dr. Trisha Atwood

Dr. Asta Audzijonyte

Dr. Steve Auscavitch

Dr. Peter J Auster

Dr. David Bailey

Dr. Maria Baker

Dr. Paul Baker

Carla Baleani

Jake Ballard

Kelsey Archer Barnhill

Dr. Thibaut Barreyre

Dr. Amanda Bates

Chloé Baumas

Dr. Narissa Bax

Sarah Becker

Dr. Kristina Beck

Danielle Becker

Lara Beckmann

Dr. María Belén Alfonso

Maximiliano Bello

Lila Ardor Bellucci

Sophie Benbow

Frida Bengtsson

Dr. Steven Benjamins

Dr. Elisa Berdalet

Jennifer Berglund

Dr. Melanie Bergmann

Franziska S. Bergmeier

Julio Bernal

Hannah Bernard

Daniela Bertotto

Tadzio Bervoets 

Dr. Christiane Biermann

Dr. Holly Bik

Meri Bilan

Giles Blackie

Dr. Robert Blasiak

Dr. Magdalena Błażewicz

Dr. Joana Boavida 

Dr. W.Frank Bohlen

Dr Monika Bohm

Dr. Paulo Bonifácio

Dr. Pablo Borboroglu

Dr. Cesar Bordehore

Natascha Borgstein

Dr. Angel Borja

Dr. Stephanie Borrelle

Catherine Borremans

Dr. Noelle Bowlin

Dr. Katlin Bowman

Tremaine Bowman

Dr. James Bradley

Clara Braña

Dr. Simone Nunes Brandao

Dr. Angelika Brandt

Dr. Miriam Brandt

Dr. Justin Brashares

Dr. Madeleine Brasier

Dr. María Emilia Bravo

William Brazelton

Dr. Corinna Breusing

Emmeline Broad

Dr. Deborah Bronk

Dr. Sandra Brooke

Dr. Mercer Brugler

Otis Brunner

River Bryant

Dr. Pamela Buchan

Salome Buglass

Dr. Lene Buhl-Mortensen

Dr Nancy Bunbury

Dr.Dennis Bunke

Valerie Burgener

Dr. Julian Burgos

Dr. Stephanie Bush

Michael J. A. Butler

Paul Butler

Candy Byrom

Wilfred Calder-Potts

Lic. Sergio Cambronero Solano

Dr. Christopher Cameron

Andy Cameron

Dr. Neus Campanyà-Llovet

Ana Campoy

Alessandra Cani 

Dr. Mathilde Cannat

Sara Cannon

Catia Canteiro

Juan Carlos Cardenas

Dr. Anais Cario

Gabrielle Carmine

Dr. Bethanie Carney Almroth

Jane Carrick

Amber Carter

Deb Castellana

Adrian Castillo

Dr. Peter Castro

Mariano Castro

Dr. Teresa Cerqueira

Dr. Florencia Cerutti

Dr. Abbie Chapman

Natasha Chapplow

Alexis Chappuis

Dr. Chong Chen

Mathieu Chevalier

Ruth Chigbo

Dr. Giovanni Chimienti

Caroline Chin

Dr. Anela Choy

Dr. Lionel Christiaen

Dr. Patrick Christie

Daisy Chung

Tyler-Rae Chung

Gabriella Church

Alessia Ciraolo

Dr. Giuseppe Civitarese

Nichola Clark

Dr. Matthew Clarkson

Dr. Joachim Claudet

Jason Cleland

Mary Clinton

Dr. Giovanni Coco

Dr. Stephen Cody

Sara Cognuck González

Dr. Sarah Cohen

Dennis Conetta

Dr. Erik Cordes

Dr. Jorge Cortés

André Costa

Tanya Cox

Chestina Craig

Dr. Jessica Cramp

Dr. Simon Cripps

Dr. Emma Critchley

Dr. Fabio Crocetta

Dr. Katy Croff Bell

Dr. Peter Croot

Danielle Crowley

Brittany Cummings

Dr. Marina R. Cunha

Emily Cunningham

Dr. Amelia Curd

Bronwen Currie

Dr. Gregory Cutter

Dr. Daphne Cuvelier

J Cybulski

Dr. Helen Czerski

Dr. Detlef Czybulka

Michelle Dan

Dr. Paul Dando

Rebecca Daniel

Theresa Davenport

Kimberly Davies

Dr. Neil Davies

Chuck Davis

Isabel De Block

Alain de Comarmond

Dr. Asha de Vos

Dr. Amy Deacon

Dr. Stacey DeAmicis

Aiko Love del Rosario

Dr. Bruno Delesalle

Fernando Delgado Huechepan

Ombretta Dell'Acqua

Dr. Elizabeth DeLoughrey

Elena Desiderà

Dr. Lyndon DeVantier

Dr. Jasmeet K. Dhaliwal

Dr. Steven D'Hondt

Christian M Diaz Sanchez

Dr. Lawrence Dill

Grete Elisabeth Dinesen

Dr. Alessia Dinoi

Dr. John Dolan

Dr. Tara Dolan

Dr. John Dower

Rachel Downey

Ulrike Drähne

Dr. Patrick Drupp

Dr. Cherisse Du Preez

Dr. Carlos Duarte

Dr. Stanislas Dubois

Dr. Luisa Dueñas

Dr. Daniel Dunn

Maria Duperron

Dr. Scott Durski

Dr. Carole Durussel

Dr. Sylvia Earle

Dr. Marjan Eggermont

Sonigitu Asibong Ekpe

Dr. Abigail Entwistle

Dr. Javier Escartin

Dr. Elva Escobar-Briones

Dr. Patricia Esquete

Dr. Ron Etter

Rebecca Evans

Jacqueline Evans

Dr. Julian Evans

Dr. Lorin Sonigitu Ekpe 

Ben Farmer

Dr. Sarah Faulwetter

Frederik Feldmann

Karl Fellenius

Dr. Vicki Ferrini

Dr. Lorraine Filipek

Aria Finkelstein

Dr. Clare Fitzsimmons

Dr. Paulo Fonseca

Dr. Maria Forlenza

Dr. Daniel Fornari

Dr. Daniel Fornari

Sarah Foster

Dr. Mara Freilich

Dr. Silvia Frey

Dennis Fritsch

Janessy Frometa

Dr. Susanna Fuller

Dr. Oscar Gaggiotti

Dr. Austin Gallagher

Dr. Eugene Gallagher

Dr. Eugene Gallagher

Dr. Monica Galligan

Dr. Natalya Gallo

Chloe Game

Dr. Anjani Ganase

Sara García-Morales

Dr. Rowan Gard

Dr. Melissa Garren

Heidi Gartner

Ryan Gasbarro

Alan Gaul

Dr. Andrey Gebruk

Gayathra Charuka Bandara Aldeniyagoda Gedara

John Geil

Emilie Geissinger

Steve Gerber

Dr. Shane Gero

Dr. Mackenzie Gerringer

Valentin Geslin

Gurveena Ghataure

Matthew Gianni

Dr. Jonatha Giddens

Dr. Lucy Gilliam

Solene Giraudeau-Potel

Dr. Peter Girguis

Kristina Gjerde

Raoul Glass

Dr. Brian Glazer

Dr. Judith Gobin

Dr. Brendan Godley

Dr. Emanuel Gonçalves

Emilio González

Dr. Mariano Gonzalez Roglich

Dr. Fernando Gonzalez Taboada

Lucy Goodwin

Laura Gordon

Dr. Liron Goren

Hugh Govan

Adriana Gracia

Dr. Jacques Grall

Dr. Marco Grasso

Dr Huw Griffiths

Dr. Maria Grigoratou

Renee Grogan

Dr. Nicolas Grisouard

Dr. Kirsten Grorud-Colvert

Dr. David Gruber

Dr. Benjamin Grupe

Miguel Guerreiro

Dr. Juergen Guerrero-Kommritz

Dr. Thomas P. Guilderson

Dr. Maila Guilhon

Lina Gutierrez-Cala

Linda Gustafsson

Dr. Steven Haddock

Svenja Halfter

Dr. Jason Hall-Spencer

Graham Hamley

Dr. Øyvind Hammer

Dr. Jennifer Hammock

Dr. Justyna Hampel

Dr. Shannon Hampton

Nova Hanson

Dr. Harriet Harden-Davies

Dr. Jean Harris

Dr. Ellycia Harrould-Kolieb

Alexandra Haselmair

Michelle Hauer

Philip Haupt

Dr. Helena Hauss

Dr. Lucy Hawkes

Dr. Julie Hawkins

Britney Hay

Gregory Hellyer

Dr. Rebecca Helm

Dr. Sarah Helyar

Britt Henke

Dr. Sian Henley

Charlotte Henriksen

Dr. Lea-Anne Henry

Dr. Santiago Herrera

Erica Herrera

Dr. Serge Heussner

Dr. Nicholas Higgs

Dr. Ana Hilário

Richard Hildreth

Dr Jenny Hillman

Dr. Mandy Hinzmann

Dr. Mark Hixon

Fabio Hochleitner

Dr. Cora Hoerstmann

Dr. Colleen Hoffman

Raissa Hogan

Dr. Jordan Hollarsmith

Dr. Charlotte Hopkins

Dr. Tammy Horton

Pippa Howard

Dickon Howell

Dr. Kerry Howell

Lucy Howey

Sarah Hu

Dr. Julie Huber

Edvard Hviding

Federico Ibarra

Daniel Ierodiaconou

Ilysa Iglesias

Dr. Katie Inderbitzen

Rachel Irish

Evagoras Isaias

Dr. Khaira Ismail

Timur Jack-Kadioglu

Dr. Jennifer Jacquet

Dr. Aline Jaeckel

Dr. Glenn Jaecks

Cara James

Dr. Annika Janssen-Kaufeld

Dr. Marcel Jaspars

Dr. Anna Jażdżewska

Dr. Rachel Jeffreys

Dr. Stuart Jenkins

Dr. Kenneth Johnson

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Shannon Johnson

Dr. Steven Johnson

Dr. Emily Jones

Dr. Peter Jones

Dr. Rose Jones

Dr. Benjamin Jones

Dr. Peter J.S. Jones

Dr. Bo Barker Jørgensen

Dr. Siddhi Joshi

Dr. Jean-Baptiste Jouffray

Dr. Frank Joyce

Dr. Samantha Joye

Ronny Jumeau

Julia Jung

Dr. S. Kim Juniper

Lashanti Jupp

Dr. Benjamin Kahn

Dr. Tēvita Kaʻili

Dr. Laura Kaikkonen

Dr. Stefanie Kaiser

Dr Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury

Dr. Björn Källström

Dr. Anne R. Kapuscinski

Ulrich Karlowski

Theresa Keates

Dr. Lucy Keith-Diagne

Dr. Stefanie Keller

Dr. Christopher Kelley

Dr. Oliver Kersten

Dr. Ahmet E Kideys

Dr. Aistė Klimašauskaitė

Dr. Kevin Kocot

Dr. Mariano Koen-Alonso

Dr. Anna Koester

Dr. Jessica Kolbusz

Dr. Heather Koldewey

Dr. Regina Kolzenburg

Dr. Juliana Kouwenberg

Dr. Muddula Krishna Naranji

Dr. Kerstin Kröger

Dr. Frano Kršinić

Shelly Krueger

Dr. Piotr Kukliński

Dr. Biju Kumar

Dr. Slawomir Kwasniewski

Dr. Elise Laetz

Dr. Christopher Laing

Alexandra Kler Lago

Dr. Claire Laguionie Marchais

Laura Lallier

Dr. Carl Lamborg

Dr. Sven Laming

Alex Lapides

Dr. Rachel Lauer

Dr. Peter Lawton

Dr. Philippe Le Billon

Dr. Nadine Le Bris

Leandro Ledezma

Katharina Leeb

Jan Leitinger

Dr. Astrid Leitner

Dr. Juliana Leonard

Jake Letori

Dr. Eva Leu

Pierandrea Leucci

Dr. Lisa Levin

Pierre-Olivier Liabot

Dr. Susanna Lidstrom

Dr. Susan Lieberman

Dr. Fernando P. Lima

Dr. Steve Lindfield

Johan Lissenberg

Dr. Kate Littler

Dr. Fengjie Liu

Amanda Lloyd

Dr. Edgardo Londono-Cruz

Megan Lubetkin

Kim Ludwig

Jason Lynch

Dr. Lara Macheriotou

Dr. Annika Mackensen

Sergio Madrigal Mora

Dr. Thomas Maes

Dr. Christopher Mah

Edward Málaga-Trillo

Chris Malanuk

Dr. Alenka Malej

Dr. Tracy Mandel

Anai Mangos

Dr. Judy Mann

Eimear Manning

Nelson Manrique

Dr. Jeffrey Marlow

Dr. Antonio Marques

Virginie Marques

Melissa Marquez

Dr. Harmony Martell

Cyrill Martin

SEVERINE martini

Dr. Irene Martins

Christophe Mason-Parker

G M Masum Billah

Dr. George Matsumoto

Jamie Maxwell

Dr. Carlotta Mazzoldi

Dr. Ana Carolina Mazzuco

Dr. Douglas McCauley

Dr. Craig McClain

Dr. Lillian McCormick

Marina McCowin

Karl McLetchie

Helena McMonagle

Dr. Kirsty McQuaid

Dr. Jan Mees

Beatriz Mejía Mercado

Renee Melkert

Dr. Anja Menzel

Dr. Nancy F. Mercado Salas

Dr. Andrew Merrie

Véronique Merten

Dr. Charles G Messing

Dr. Nélia Mestre

Dr. Anna Metaxas

Dr. Lisa Mevenkamp

Dr. Loïc N. Michel

Dr. Fiorenza Micheli

Olga Mironenko

Dr. Emily Mitchell

Dr. Christian Mohn

Inga Mohrbeck

Nicolas Moity

Matěj Moleš

Dr. Klas Ove Möller

Aoife Molloy

Dr. Tina Molodtsova

Dr. Enrique Montes

Erika Montoya Cadavid

Dr. Jenna Moore

José Andrés Marín Moraga

Dr. Telmo Morato

Dr. Lance Morgan

Erica Moulton

Dr. Rodrigo Moura

Berry Mulligan

Pablo Muniz

Sheryl Murdock

Kieran Murray

Tyler Murray-Ramcharan

Dr. Sandor Mulsow 

Simon Mustoe

Dr. Nyawira Muthiga

Constantinos C Mylonas

Dr. Kakha Nadiradze

Dr. Eduardo Najera Hillman

Melina Nalmpanti

Beatriz Naranjo Elizondo

Dr. Bhavani Narayanaswamy

Jerry Natanine

Neil Nathan

Dr. Carlos Neira

Dr. Danielle Nembhard

Dr. Mei Lin Neo

Janissa Ng

Tanguy Nicolas

Dr. Karina Nielsen

Dr. Holly Niner

Dagnia Nolasco

Dr. Clifton Nunnally

Dr. David Obura

Dr. Irene Olive

Dr. Erik Olsen

Dr. Beth Orcutt

Dr. Covadonga Orejas

Dr. Guillermo Ortuño Crespo 

Dr. Maartje Oostdijk

Dean Page

Dr. Deng Palomares

Dr. Ellen Pape

Dr. Chiara Papetti

Lola Paradinas 

Dr. Usha Parameswaran

Dr. Camilla Parzanini

Kelvin Passfield

Dr. Vardhan Patankar

Geoffrey Patton

Dr. Maria Luiza Pedrotti

Dr. Álvaro Peña

Ana Carolina Peralta

Olívia Pereira

Jessica Perelman

Maëva Perez

Dr. Michael Perfit

Dr. Vanesa Perillo

Dr. Manoela Pessoa de Miranda

Dr. Teale N. Phelps Bondaroff

Victor Pickering

Loreley Picourt

Felicity Pike

Beth Pike

Rebecca Plant

Dr. Carrie Pomeroy

Dr. Alessandro Ponzo

Sarah Popov

Dr. Joanne S Porter

Dr. Anne Marie Power

Dr. Sian Prior

Dr. Ana Prohaska

Dr. Alicia Prowse

Dr. Eleonora Puccinelli

Dr. Patricia Martí Puig

Dr. Andrea Quattrini

Dr. Ana Queiros

Muriel Rabone

Dr. Sofia Ramalho

Kavya Ramesh

Dr. Deni Ramirez

Dr. Eva Ramirez-Llodra

Juita Ramli

Jose Ramon Delgado

Mariella Rasotto

Ascensão Ravara

Dr. Sabine Rech

Dr. Eoghan Reeves

Dr. Mark Rehkämper

Susan Reid

Dr. Veronica Relano

Jasmin Renz

Dr. Pedro Ribeiro

Dr. Pascale Ricard

Patricia Ricard

Dr. Bertrand Richer de Forges

Dr. Rosalind Rickaby

Ibai Rico

Dr. Denise Risch

Dr. Adela Roa-Varon

Dr. Emyr Martyn Roberts

Dr. Murray Roberts

Dr. Callum Roberts

Janet Roberts

Dr. Craig Robertson

Dr. Nathan Robinson

Dr. Luiz Rocha 

Dr. Clara Rodrigues

Dr. João Rodrigues

Alexandre Rodriguez

Adriana Rodriguez Bermudez

Dr. Desiree Roerdink

Stefanie Rog

Dr. Alex Rogers

Dr. Mickey Rogers

Callum Rollo

Dr. Luis Martínez Romero

Dr. Naomi A. Rose

Dr. Mercedes Rosello

Dr. Jordan Rosenfield

Dr. Rebecca Ross

Dr. Nicolai Roterman

Dr. Randi Rotjan 

Dr. Helen Rozwadowski

Dr. Eric Rubenstein

Luis Rubio

Dr. Etienne Ruellan

Dr. Naidu SA

Dr. Enric Sala

Dr. Anna Sanchez-Vidal

Dr. Gorka Sancho

Sunil Santha

Dr. Nadia Santodomingo

Dr. Ricardo Serrão Santos

Dr. Helen Scales

Dr. Robert Scheibling

Dr. Stefano Schiaparelli

Brian Schlining

Dr. Simon Schneider

Dr. Timm Schoening

Dr. Sandra Schoettner

Dr. James Scourse

Raphael Seguin

Dr. Roland Seib

Dr. Charlotte Seid

Shah Selbe

Dr. Javier Sellanes

Dr. Fred Serchuk

Dr. Katerina Sevastou

Noran Alwakhir Shaarani

Dr. Timothy Shank

Dr. Arvind Shantharam

Dr. Stephanie Sharuga

Dr. Callyn Shelley

Dr. Krista Sherman

Rosie Sherwood

Dr. Rebecca Shipe

Dr. Oliver Shipley

Thomas C Shirley

Rohini Shivamoggi

Dr. Julia Sigwart

Frances Simmons

Dr. John Simpson

Prof. Steve Simpson

Pradeep Singh

Dr. Ravail Singh

Lívia Sinigaglia

Dr. Frederic Sinniger Harii

Dr. Marilou Sison-Mangus 

Dr. Martin Skov

Dr. Craig Smith

Dr. Jason Smith

Inge Smith

Marc Smith-Evans

Dr. Joana Soares

Alice Soccodato

Dr. Zacharie Sohou

Adam Sokołowski

Rabia Somers

Kiara Isabella Soto

Dr. Eulogio Soto Oyarzún

Chelsey Souza

Dr. Mark J. Spalding

John Starmer

Dr Paris Stefanoudis

Julia Stefanschitz

Dr. Dirk Steinke

Vanessa Stenvers

Theodora Stephens-Manassieva

Dr. Jonathon Stillman

Dr. Willem Stock

Ina Stoltenberg

Dr. Cait Storr

Austen Elizabeth Stovall

Elizabeth Stuart

Dr. Rashid Sumaila

Dr. Paulo Sumida

Sunjay Sunjay

Dr. Szymon Surma

Dr. Andrea Swei

Dr. Jason Sylvan

Dr. Angela Szesciorka

Diego Tabilo

Sheena Talma

Dr. Christian Tamburini

Prue Taylor

Dr. Michelle Taylor

Dr. Fernando Tempera

Dr. Tarek Temraz

Dr. Andrew Thaler

Torsten Thiele

Elin Thomas

Ellen Thomas

Dr. Kirsten Thompson

Esther Thomsen

Dr. David Thornalley

Dr. Ann Thornton

Maxime Thuillez

Dr. Andrew Thurber

Dana Tigarea

Dr. Ekin Tilic

Dr. Ron Togunov

Dr. Beatrice Tomasi

Nora Torres

Olga Trela

James Tremlett

Dana Tricarico

Daniela Truchet

Dr. Anastasios Tselepides

Dr. Sandy Tudhope

Dr. Verena Tunnicliffe

Evangelos Tzanatos

Dr. Joseph Ulanowski

Judith Underwood

Dr. Sebastian Unger

Chinonso Uzowihe

Vasilis Valavanis

Loïc Van Audenhaege

Dave van Beuningen

Dr. Jesse van der Grient

Dr. Terje van der Meeren

Dr. Sancia van der Meij

Judith van Leeuwen

Yens Vandenboer 

Isaac Vandor

Callie Veelenturf

Dr. Monica Verbeek

Babs Verhoeve

Dr. Saskia Vermeylen

Dr. Frederique Viard

Dr. Lissette Victorero

Angelo Villagomez

Diana Villagran

Dr. Amanda Vincent

Beatriz Vinha

Dr. Elina Virtanen

Dr. Martin Visbeck

Bianca Vogt

Dr.-Ing. Matthias Voigt

Susan von Thun

Dr. Colette Wabnitz

Dr. Andrea Waeschenbach

Dr. Daniel Wagner

Paula Walker

Jessica Walker

Katy Walker

Hans Walters

Dr. Mel Wang

Dr. Ben Ward

Dr. Christine Ward-Paige

Dr. Bob Warner

Dr. Sophia Wassermann

Dr. Les Watling

Dr. Lindy Weilgart

Dr. Rebecca Wellard

Dr. Jacob Wenegrat

Dr. Edith Widder

Dr. Helena Wiklund

Antonella Wilby

Dr. Alix Willemez

Rosie Williams

Dr. Nancy Williams

Haley Williams

Jacob Winnikoff

Dr. Matthew Witt

Aleah Wong

Candace Wong

Dr. Lucy Woodall

Matt Woodstock

Dr. Boris Worm

Jessika Woroniak

Dr. Katrine Worsaae

Dr. Dawn Wright

Erik Wurz

Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki

Dr. Joana Xavier

Dr. Semra Yalcin

Ana Belen Yanez Suarez

Batuhan Çağrı Yapan

Dr. Moriaki Yasuhara

Daniela Yepes-Gaurisas

Dr. Hillary Young

Dr. Emily Young

Uwe Zajonz

Dr. Anna Zalik

Carlo Zampieri

Ilena Zanella

Dr. Amanda Ziegler

Dr. Rachel Zuercher

Selby Zuma

Peer-review journal resources

Singh, 2022. The Invocation of the ‘Two-Year Rule’ at the International Seabed Authority: Legal Consequences and Implications https://doi.org/10.1163/15718085-bja10098

Amon et al., 2022. Assessment of scientific gaps related to the effective environmental management of deep-seabed mining https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105006

Duarte et al., 2020. Rebuilding marine life https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2146-7

Drazen et al., 2020. Opinion: Midwater ecosystems must be considered when evaluating environmental risks of deep-sea mining  https://www.pnas.org/content/117/30/17455

Levin et al., 2020. Challenges to the sustainability of deep-seabed mining https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-0558-x

Smith et al., 2020. Deep-Sea Misconceptions Cause Underestimation of Seabed-Mining Impacts https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534720301828#!

IUCN Deep seabed mining report, 2018 https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/47761

Miller et al., 2018. An Overview of Seabed Mining Including the Current State of Development, Environmental Impacts, and Knowledge Gaps https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2017.00418/full

Niner et al., 2018. Deep-Sea Mining With No Net Loss of Biodiversity—An Impossible Aim https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00053/full

Van Dover et al., 2017. Biodiversity loss from deep-sea mining https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo2983

Levin et al., 2016. Defining “serious harm” to the marine environment in the context of deep-seabed mining https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X1630495X?via%3Dihub

Wedding et al., 2015. Managing mining of the deep seabed https://science.sciencemag.org/content/349/6244/144.summary

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Please join other marine science & policy experts calling for a pause to deep-sea mining until sufficient and robust scientific information has been obtained to make informed decisions about whether to go ahead.

If you are not an expert but still wished to be involved, you can add your name to the open letter calling for a stop to deep-sea mining, organized by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and the Oxygen Project.

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