85 11 Abstract Deep Seabed Mining in the Area: Environmental Aspects of the Legal Framework The thesis focuses on the environmental aspects of regulation of deep-seabed mining in areas outside national jurisdictions, collectively referred to as the Area. Deep Seabed Mining (DSBM) is a potential future method of commercial extraction of non-renewable resources, metals and rare earths, collectively referred to as Minerals, conducted at depths between one and six kilometres below the ocean surface. Like all other mining operations, these activities would affect the surrounding ecosystems and the ocean environment as a whole, which is already under considerable pressure from other human activities. Effective protection of the marine environment therefore requires sophisticated legislative and policy framework to avoid irreversible and unacceptable consequences, including loss of genetic resources, biodiversity and deepening threats to climate stability. The diverse set of rules that govern the DBSM has been shaped over the last 50 years by various interest groups and under the influence of the latest scientific knowledge and technological developments. Its backbone are the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Implementation Agreement. The provisions of Part XI of UNCLOS...
