Mining questions of 'what' and 'who' : deepening discussions of the seabed for future policy and governance
Conde, Marta (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Mondré, Aletta (University of Kiel. Institute of Social Sciences. Department of Political Science)
Peters, Kimberley (Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung)
Steinberg, Philip (Durham University. Department of Geography)

Date:	2022
Abstract:	In spite of a proliferation of academic and policy-oriented interest in deep sea mining (DSM), this paper argues that two underlying questions remain underexplored. The first relates to what exactly the seabed is; the second to who the stakeholders are. It is argued that a greater interrogation of how the seabed is defined and understood, and a deeper consideration of how stakeholders are identified and the politics of their inclusion, is crucial to the enactment of policy and planning techniques. Through the analysis of current regulations to govern DSM in both national and international jurisdictions, this paper critically examines these seemingly banal but vital questions in different contexts. It is contended that most regulations are 'fuzzy' when it comes to addressing these questions, with the result that different understandings of the seabed and the implications of mining are ignored and that who stakeholders are and how they are defined causes many relevant voices to be unheard. It is argued, therefore, that it is imperative to address these often-overlooked questions directly in order to inform future seabed policy and governance.
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Note:	Altres ajuts: Obra Social La Caixa and COST Action CA15217 - Ocean Governance for Sustainability - challenges, options and the role of science (OceanGov)
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Seabed ; Deep sea mining (DSM) ; Policy ; Governance ; Ontological questions ; Stakeholder ; Participation
Published in:	Maritime Studies, (July 2022) , ISSN 2212-9790

DOI: 10.1007/s40152-022-00273-2

12 p, 689.1 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles