Research and regulations must be integrated to protect seafloor biota from future mining impacts As human use of rare metals has diversified and risen with global development, metal ore deposits from the deep ocean floor are increasingly seen as an attractive future resource. Japan recently completed the first successful test for zinc extraction from the deep seabed, and the number of seafloor exploration licenses filed at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has tripled in the past 5 years. Seafloor-mining equipment is being tested, and industrial-scale production in national waters could start in a few years. We call for integrated scientific studies of global metal resources, the fluxes and fates of metal uses, and the ecological footprints of mining on land and in the sea, to critically assess the risks of deep-sea mining and the chances for alternative technologies. Given the increasing scientific evidence for long-lasting impacts of mining on the abyssal environment, precautionary regulations for commercial deep-sea mining are essential to protect marine ecosystems and their biodiversity.

中文翻译：

---

注意海底

必须整合研究和法规，以保护海底生物群免受未来采矿的影响随着人类对稀有金属的使用多样化并随着全球发展而增加，深海海底的金属矿床越来越被视为具有吸引力的未来资源。日本最近完成了首次从深海海底提取锌的成功试验，向国际海底管理局 (ISA) 提交的海底勘探许可证数量在过去 5 年中增加了两倍。海底采矿设备正在测试中，几年内可以开始在国家水域进行工业规模生产。我们呼吁对全球金属资源、金属用途的流动和命运以及陆地和海洋采矿的生态足迹进行综合科学研究，批判性地评估深海采矿的风险和替代技术的机会。鉴于越来越多的科学证据表明采矿对深海环境的长期影响，商业深海采矿的预防性法规对于保护海洋生态系统及其生物多样性至关重要。