ALBERT

Description: Mit dem raschen Wachstum des Technologiesektors in den vergangen zehn Jahren ist die Nachfrage nach Metallen wie Kupfer, Mangan oder Kobalt und weiteren seltenen Erdmineralien um ein Vielfaches gestiegen. Der Tiefseeboden als potenzielle Quelle dieser Mineralien scheint vor diesem Hintergrund besonders attraktiv, insbesondere weil der industrielle Tiefseebodenbergbau nun kurz vor der Operationalisierung steht.

Description: The Marine Regions Forum 2023 was held under the headline “Navigating Ocean Sustainability in the Western Indian Ocean and Beyond”, placing a focus on the Western Indian Ocean ( WIO) region and its challenges, and featuring many of the region’s ocean actors and experts. It provided an opportunity to reconnect in-person after the COVID -19 pandemic in a biodiversity-rich area that is particularly vulnerable to climate change, food insecurity and where a large proportion of the population is reliant on the coast for their livelihoods. But the WIO region is also pioneering a regional ocean governance strategy and is a hub of research, capacity development and science-to-policy engagement. This conference provided a platform to share best practices from the WIO region with other marine regions and learn from experiences from other parts of the world. Further, the conference offered a space for on-going processes to receive input from stakeholders and advance work, such as for the regional ocean governance strategy for the WIO that is being developed through an extensive collaborative process and under the auspices of the Nairobi Convention Secretariat. And, at a time where it can feel like international relationships are breaking down, and nations are looking inwards more than out, it was encouraging to gather over 180 people in Dar es Salaam and be hosted by both the United Republic of Tanzania and Republic of Seychelles to look at ways to work together towards a common goal of improved ocean governance at national, regional, and global levels. The conference programme of the Marine Regions Forum 2023 was developed together with partners from the WIO region and experts engaging in the region and built on a yearlong process of engagement and consultation. The coordinating team facilitated the overall co-design and co-delivery of the Marine Regions Forum conference. The shaping of the programme, fine-tuning of content, the selection of speakers and other contributors, and the moderation of sessions and discussions at the conference were a collaborative effort of the team, its partners, and the co-chairs of topical strands and sessions. This is reflected in the key messages of the Marine Regions Forum 2023 which have been compiled by the coordinating team from summary notes of plenaries and workshop sessions and developed jointly with the co-chairs. Although the four topical strands dealt with a broad range of issues, there were commonalities that spread across the discussions. These are summarised below as key messages that emerged and stood out from the three days of the conference.

Description: The Marine Regions Forum 2023 was held under the headline “Navigating Ocean Sustainability in the Western Indian Ocean and Beyond”, placing a focus on the Western Indian Ocean ( WIO) region and its challenges, and featuring many of the region’s ocean actors and experts. It provided an opportunity to reconnect in-person after the COVID -19 pandemic in a biodiversity-rich area that is particularly vulnerable to climate change, food insecurity and where a large proportion of the population is reliant on the coast for their livelihoods. But the WIO region is also pioneering a regional ocean governance strategy and is a hub of research, capacity development and science-to-policy engagement. This conference provided a platform to share best practices from the WIO region with other marine regions and learn from experiences from other parts of the world. Further, the conference offered a space for on-going processes to receive input from stakeholders and advance work, such as for the regional ocean governance strategy for the WIO that is being developed through an extensive collaborative process and under the auspices of the Nairobi Convention Secretariat. And, at a time where it can feel like international relationships are breaking down, and nations are looking inwards more than out, it was encouraging to gather over 180 people in Dar es Salaam and be hosted by both the United Republic of Tanzania and Republic of Seychelles to look at ways to work together towards a common goal of improved ocean governance at national, regional, and global levels. The conference programme of the Marine Regions Forum 2023 was developed together with partners from the WIO region and experts engaging in the region and built on a yearlong process of engagement and consultation. The coordinating team facilitated the overall co-design and co-delivery of the Marine Regions Forum conference. The shaping of the programme, fine-tuning of content, the selection of speakers and other contributors, and the moderation of sessions and discussions at the conference were a collaborative effort of the team, its partners, and the co-chairs of topical strands and sessions. This is reflected in the key messages of the Marine Regions Forum 2023 which have been compiled by the coordinating team from summary notes of plenaries and workshop sessions and developed jointly with the co-chairs. Although the four topical strands dealt with a broad range of issues, there were commonalities that spread across the discussions. These are summarised below as key messages that emerged and stood out from the three days of the conference.

Description: The ocean is threatened by human activities, which undermine the health of its ecosystems. To overcome this scenario, there is a converging understanding that a more encompassing approach, such as Ecosystem-based Management (EBM), is essential to manage human activities. EBM implementation in scenarios of limited knowledge and potentially irreversible impacts, such as deep-sea mining (DSM), is thus highly appropriate, although the translation of this approach into practice is not intuitive and rather challenging. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), the organization with the mandate to award exploration and exploitation contracts for minerals on the international seabed, has recognized the need to incorporate EBM in its instruments but has not specified how to implement it. Through an online survey and in-depth interviews, ISA stakeholders have been inquired about their perception of the understanding, current status, implications, and opportunities of EBM for the deep-sea mining regime. The findings reveal that stakeholders perceive EBM as more related to ecological and impact aspects and less with participation, socio-ecological systems interlinks, and other forms of knowledge that are not scientific. Few respondents recognize EBM within the ISA, reporting its reflection in management instruments such as Regional Environmental Management Plans and Environmental Impact Assessments. No common definition exists, regarded as an obstacle to decision-making and EBM operationalization. According to them, opportunities to improve EBM implementation include collaboration with organizations already familiar with EBM, capacity development activities, workshops, and dedicated side events focusing on the issue. Finally, most of them recognize that a lack of consensus regarding EBM can impact decision-making and EBM operationalization, thus compromising ISA’s mandate. In this context, the clarification on what EBM entails for the seabed mining regime should be a matter of major interest to the ISA and all its stakeholders, as the mineral resources found in the seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdictions (the Area) are the common heritage of humankind, and therefore, its maintenance and benefits must be ensured to future generations.

Description: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a significant loss of human life and degradation of public health and has increased food and nutritional insecurity and poverty. The pandemic has also had devastating impacts on maritime economies, coastal communities and livelihoods, and on institutions and processes that govern ocean use and conservation (Northrop et al., 2020). While some pandemic-related containment measures are being phased out in some parts of the world, many countries remain in a state of ongoing crisis. The negative impacts of the pandemic are particularly pronounced in developing countries, many of which face pre-existing vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change, natural disasters, and economic shocks (Mead, 2021). The global pandemic has reinforced structural vulnerabilities rooted in an overdependence on select economic sectors (e.g., tourism and fisheries), fiscal deficits and public dept levels, as well as constraints in the mobilization of public and private financial resources (OECD, 2021a; Tokunaga et al., 2021; UNCTAD, 2021). Considering the different crises the world is faced with, socio-economic recovery efforts in response to the Covid-19 pandemic should not further amplify but help to combat climate change, the degradation of ecosystems, and the accelerating loss of biodiversity. At least 10 % of the total recovery spending so far have mixed or negative implications on the environment (OECD, 2021b). Currently, the share of Official Development Assistance (ODA) dedicated to sustainable ocean economies accounts for less than 1 % of global ODA (OECD, 2021c). Given the scarcity of funding for sustainable ocean economies, it is crucial to ensure investments work towards achieving multiple benefits related to society and the environment. This policy brief provides the following recommendations to move from short-term emergency action to fostering long-term recovery across three key areas: (1) sustainable blue recovery for livelihoods and ocean health, (2) regional coordination and cooperation, and (3) ocean finance and funding.

Description: Die Mitgliedstaaten der Internationalen Meeresbodenbehörde verhandeln derzeit über einen umfassenden Kodex für den Abbau mineralischer Rohstoffe wie Manganknollen, Massivsulfide und kobaltreicher Krusten im Meeresbodengebiet jenseits der Grenzen nationalen Rechts, dem Gemeinsamen Erbe der Menschheit. Diese Studie zielt darauf ab, die anstehenden Probleme des im Seerecht vorgesehenen gerechten Ausgleichs der möglicherweise entstehenden wirtschaftlichen und finanziellen Vorteile auf ganzheitliche Weise anzugehen. Wir stellen zunächst die rechtlichen Vorgaben vor und betrachten ergänzend die umfassenden ethischen Überlegungen und Entwicklungen, welche zu der heute global als notwendig erachteten Transformation hin zu nachhaltigem Wirtschaften und Leben, ausgedrückt in der Agenda 2030 und den Zielen für nachhaltige Entwicklung, geführt haben. Dies ist der Rahmen für unsere Empfehlungen zu einem umfassenden Vorteilsausgleichsregime. Was genau ist unter Vorteil zu verstehen? Bezieht das auch Nachteile mit ein? Gestützt auf das Konzept des Naturkapitals und damit auf einen umweltökonomischen Ansatz, der darauf abzielt, alle Formen des Kapitals fair zu berücksichtigen, analysieren wir im nächsten Kapitel die Vorteilsproblematik von Rohstoffabbau vor den speziellen Anforderungen des gemeinsamen Erbes der Menschheit. Die von der Tiefsee erbrachten Ökosystemdienstleistungen müssen als messbarer Nutzen in die Kalkulation einbezogen werden und ebenso ihre etwaige Beschädigung auch Bergbau als anrechenbare Kosten. Der bislang verhandelte Ansatz zum Zahlungsmechanismus wird vorgestellt und gegen ein dem Gemeinsamen Erbe gerechteren System zur Aufteilung des Nutzens abgewogen. Es muss zudem auch auf integrierte und umfassende Weise ein gemeinsames Bild der Zukunft entworfen werden, damit die Entscheidungen als gerecht und fair akzeptiert werden. Ein möglicher Mechanismus hierzu ist die Szenario Analyse, in welche im letzten Kapitel eingeführt wird.

Description: Member states of the International Seabed Authority are working to adopt a comprehensive Mining Code this study aims to address the issues around benefits in relation to mining the Area in a holistic way. The initial chapter summarises the legal framework of the benefit sharing regime in the context of the Common Heritage of (Hu)mankind. Having established the legal basis, we look at the broader ethical considerations and developments which have led to the global commitment for "Transforming our World" towards sustainable development and economies, enshrined in the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. This provides a framework for policy recommendations on an inclusive benefit sharing regime that take also the precautionary principle fully into account. The next chapter provides a comprehensive economic analysis of mining in the Area in relation to benefits that may or may not accrue for distribution to mankind. The analysis is based on the concept of natural capital and thus an environmental economics approach that aims to fairly consider all forms of capital and the ecosystem services provided by the deep ocean. This offers a way to assess benefits and losses. By developing the idea of a net benefit for humanity as a precondition for mining, this approach allows decisions based on adequate criteria for the benefit sharing regime. The financial payment mechanism chapter looks at the work undertaken to date by the ISA through workshops and third-party contracts to deliver the payment mechanism for contractors to compensate mankind for losses in the Area. This chapter critically assesses the approach taken and proposes alternatives. To deliver a meaningful benefit sharing regime that is acceptable to a broad range of stakeholders requires not only that it reflects legal, societal, environmental and economic concerns but it also needs to be debated in an integrated and comprehensive way so that the results seem equitable and fair. The final chapter provides an introduction into scenario analysis as a mechanism that could be considered to get to such a common agreement.