The Joint Action is implemented in three consecutive phases. The first MiningImpact project which ran from 2015 to 2017, investigated experimental and rather small disturbances of the seafloor over decadal timescales. The second project, ‘MiningImpact 2’ (2018-2022), was able to reduce existing knowledge gaps and uncertainties on the environmental impact of deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules. A pioneer in its approach, the project conducted for the
first time an independent scientific monitoring of a prototype mining robot. It worked specifically towards policy recommendations and provided a reference for risk analysis and environmental impact assessments for future deep-sea pilot mining tests.
In a testament to the significance and success of these endeavours, the JPI Oceans Management Board, in April 2023, greenlit the continuation of the initiative, approving a third phase of the Joint Action. With the support of Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania and the UK, a joint call for proposals was launched with a budget of of € 6,89 million and complemented by access to ship-time onboard of two research vessels. The MiningImpact3 research project was selected as a result to conduct groundbreaking environmental research to inform the regulatory discourse about deep-sea mining.
Since 2015 the JPI Oceans Joint Action has successfully demonstrated how integrated scientific research can be organized in two European trans-disciplinary research projects (MiningImpact I & II) and how marine research infrastructure can be utilized jointly and efficiently to tackle deep-sea research questions and close scientific knowledge gaps. With both MiningImpact projects having delivered valuable input into the ongoing development of an international Mining Code at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), JPI Oceans has made a significant contribution to generate the necessary evidence base underpinning the development of the international governance framework for the potential exploitation of deep seabed resources. By funding top-notch interdisciplinary science, JPI Oceans and its member countries have given the European science community a common approach to these global long-term negotiations, ensuring that global policies are based on the best available scientific knowledge.
More details on the project results can be found in:
The last decade has seen a steady increase of interest in deep-sea mining to secure mankind’s future demands in raw materials. Several European countries, i.e. Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, and a consortium of former Soviet Union countries, have registered claims with the International Seabed Authority to explore mineral resources in the abyss. The ISA is currently developing its international regulatory framework governing the exploitation of mineral seabed resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the “Mining Code”.
With deep-sea mining inevitably causing disturbances to abyssal ecosystems, because mineral deposits in focus cover extended areas of the inhabited seafloor that will be disturbed directly and indirectly by mining operations, it is important that international legislation is based on the best available knowledge. JPI Oceans aimed to contribute to the development of the Mining Code by filling knowledge gaps in the field.