Assessment of Cumulative Effects for Environmental Management of Deep-sea Areas Targeted for Resource Extraction

Abstract

Deep-sea mining (DSM) is viewed as a nascent industry which, while providing resources necessary for the transition to “green economy,” will make it possible to avoid political and environmental challenges of terrestrial mining. On the other hand, DSM is also perceived as an unwelcome intervention into the deep sea environment and an activity that poses a strong environmental risk as it may be a driver of substantial harm to the marine environment. It is also increasingly fre quently pointed out that the environmental stressors acting upon the deep-sea envi ronment will not occur or act separately, in isolation, but will instead interact and intertwine to produce consequences (effects) resulting from cumulation or synergy of impacts. The effects may propagate and affect multiple ecosystem components. The assessment of cumulative effects from impacts in any marine environment con stitutes a major challenge for both science and management, the challenge being made more acute in the deep-sea environment because of the prevalent data paucity regarding deep-sea ecosystems. Nevertheless, there is a universal agreement that cumulative effects have to be assessed to minimize uncertainties and to increase the reliability of models and projections of future developments in a deep-sea area sub jected to human intervention. This chapter explores how the assessment of cumula tive impacts/effects features in the ecosystem approach toward anthropogenic interventions (including DSM) in the marine environment and in the adaptive man agement, how it is approached in various deep-sea settings, and how it can be, and has so far been, implemented.