Pacific region faces seabed mining challenge

As the SPC-EU Deep Sea Minerals Project assists PICs with the development of legal and regulatory frameworks to govern deep sea minerals activities, prospects are taking shape for a new economic opportunity for the Pacific region. But lessons must be learnt from history: from decades of negative social and environmental impacts from ill-managed onshore mining operations, and from failure to maximize returns to the state from the exploitation of other natural resources - on-land mining, logging and fisheries. Pacific states now have the opportunity of a new start, developing well-thought-out, precautionary, proactive policies and dedicated seabed minerals legislation before any mining activities commence. 
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