New publications on ocean stewardship
Two papers addressing various aspects of the governance and stewardship of marine exploitation activities, have recently been published; both papers have contirbutions from the MIDAS community. A Policy Forum paper in Science by Mengerink et al (published 16 May 2014) calls for a precautionary system that balances use of living marine resources, energy, and minerals from the deep ocean with maintenance of a productive and healthy marine environment, while improving knowledge and collaboration.
A second paper focuses on the International Seabed Authority's environmental management plan for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Published in Marine Policy (available online), it gives an overview of the spatial planning principles applied to developing the environmental management plan for the region, and the need to balance commercial activities with protection of the marine environment. The paper also introduces the MIDAS project and its aims to understand better the potential environmental and ecological impacts of deep-sea mining.
Mengerink K.J., Van Dover, C.L., Ardron J., Baker M., Escobar-Briones E., Gjerde K., Koslow J.A., Ramirez-Llodra E., Lara-Lopez A., Squires D., Sutton T., Sweetman A.K., and Levin L.A. (2014) A Call for Deep-Ocean Stewardship. Science 344 (6185), 696-698. DOI:10.1126/science.1251458. The summary can be read online: http://www.sciencemag.org/
Lodge, M., Johnson, D., Le Gurun, G., Wengler, M., Weaver, P. & Gunn, V. (2014) Seabed mining: International Seabed Authority environmental management plan for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. A partnership approach. Marine Policy 49, 66-72. DOI 10.1016/j.marpol.2014.04.006.
