Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority
Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority
from the deep sea. One group of enzymes Mr. Wanjik said, are coral enzymes that are thought to have medicinal qualities for cancer treatment. Mr. Wanjik said that under the draft policy, regulations for biological prospecting are being considered. Mr Wanjik said that a network of various groups who work together to look at the prospects for bio prospecting has been formed in Papua New Guinea under the an institution known as PNG BIONET. He said that any request to conduct marine scientific research on biodiversity in Papua New Guinea’s marine areas has to be cleared by PNG BIONET. Mr. Wanjik informed participants that Papua New Guinea has a standing arrangement with Australia’s scientific research organization, CSIRO, on the commercial utilization of such resources. Benefits distribution With regard to the benefits distribution scheme from land-based mining, Mr. Wanjik said that all benefits are shared between the province in which the mining project takes place, the landowners and the indigenous people. In the draft Offshore Mining Policy, Mr. Wanjik said that the emphasis is on a distribution scheme wherein resources found in the ocean will be developed for the entire country rather than to be distributed to a province or landowners. SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSIONS The discussions following Mr. Wanjik’s presentation focussed on the distinction between marine scientific research and mineral exploration. One participant, noting that Mr. Wanjik had raised this matter in his presentation said that in his country their scientists normally advised the government on these matters. In this regard, this participant said that he had been informed that scientific research involved studies on the natural phenomena of the sea including the seabed. He said that the emphasis placed on this activity was the study of natural phenomena. He had also been informed that prospecting is an effort to find out whether or not there are resources in that natural set- INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 374
up, to identify these resources and determine their location. The participant said that he had been informed that the purpose of exploration, that followed the discovery of and determination of the location of this resource is to identify, study, and determine whether the resources are commercially exploitable. This participant asked whether this advice is reliable. Another participant, recalling Mr. Wanjik’s comment about exploration and scientific research, said that there is more than one reason to study the grade and tonnage of mineral deposits. This participant said that scientists are interested in the geo-chemical balance of the oceans, so it is important to study the quantity of minerals and the deposits and what they are composed of, without having necessarily any economic interest whatsoever. Another participant made the observation that although scientific research can be done under exploration, if a researcher proposes generating scientific information on resources to be found in the marine environment in the common interest of mankind that is scientific research. This participant said that the moment a conversion component is introduced, then the activity transforms to exploration. Responding to these questions, Mr. Wanjik stated that from the regulatory point of view, in terms of activity, the distinction is not a problem. As an example, he said that although drilling is considered an exploration activity, drilling is also undertaken by marine scientific researchers. He therefore asked where the distinction should be made. A participant made the point that exploration comprises the activities under an exploration license and marine scientific research comprises the activities undertaken with a permit for scientific research. This participant therefore said that with exclusive rights under an exploration license the two activities could co-exist. Mr. Wanjik concluded the session noting that under the draft Offshore Mining Policy, marine scientific research is encouraged. Where interest in developing marine mineral resources is generated, the Prospector’s Rights and Exploration License tenements are then available. INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 375
- Page 332 and 333: Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) D
- Page 334 and 335: equired to make sure that the ship
- Page 336 and 337: Dr. Herzig summarized the technical
- Page 338 and 339: commercial. Since confidentiality o
- Page 340 and 341: CHAPTER 8 FACTORS IN FINANCING EXPL
- Page 342 and 343: The traditional project stages that
- Page 344 and 345: there is a subset that forms in spe
- Page 346 and 347: of competing for the attention of i
- Page 348 and 349: 7. Why SMS Mines will be Lower Cost
- Page 350 and 351: 8. Modelling SMS mining offers scop
- Page 352 and 353: Because exhalative SMS deposits are
- Page 354 and 355: SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTATION AND DIS
- Page 356 and 357: flow to the metal markets. He also
- Page 358 and 359: shortage in the next couple of year
- Page 360 and 361: starts, the operation could take pl
- Page 362 and 363: Based on this and other considerati
- Page 364 and 365: Mr. Malnic said that the mining ope
- Page 366 and 367: and silver. Except for volcanically
- Page 368 and 369: 2.2. Major Features of the Draft Of
- Page 370 and 371: As a general principle the fiscal p
- Page 372 and 373: I think the issue is not as simple
- Page 374 and 375: Table 3: Data and information requi
- Page 376 and 377: former case a reminder notice is se
- Page 378 and 379: 6. Elisabeth Mann Borgese, Ocean Go
- Page 380 and 381: longer an area is held, more inform
- Page 384 and 385: CHAPTER 10 NATIONAL AND INTERNATION
- Page 386 and 387: times greater than atmospheric pres
- Page 388 and 389: Fig. 2 Schematic diagram showing th
- Page 390 and 391: Figure. 4: Distributions of hydroth
- Page 392 and 393: Figure 6: Distributions of hydrothe
- Page 394 and 395: Figure.8: Plot of incidence of hydr
- Page 396 and 397: et al., 1998) - one of the two very
- Page 398 and 399: seabed but, instead, are dispersed
- Page 400 and 401: Figure 10: The Southampton Oceanogr
- Page 402 and 403: oxide material, polymetallic sulphi
- Page 404 and 405: Figure 13: TOBI sidescan sonar imag
- Page 406 and 407: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to ex
- Page 408 and 409: 15. Cronan D S (ed.) Handbook of Ma
- Page 410 and 411: 33. Gross G.A. and McLeod C.R., Met
- Page 412 and 413: 51. Jones H. A. and Davies P. J., P
- Page 414 and 415: 69. Manheim F. T., Composition and
- Page 416 and 417: 87. Muller, R.D., Roest, W.R., Roye
- Page 418 and 419: 107. Warren, J., Evaporites: their
- Page 420 and 421: cultivating sulphide oxidising bact
- Page 422 and 423: In relation to spreading rates at v
- Page 424 and 425: coordination to actually get to go
- Page 426 and 427: esources and to know whether or not
- Page 428 and 429: ROVS, AUVs or submersibles to produ
- Page 430 and 431: have oversimplified the case in his
from the deep sea. One group of enzymes Mr. Wanjik said, are coral enzymes<br />
that are thought to have medicinal qualities for cancer treatment. Mr.<br />
Wanjik said that under the draft policy, regulations for biological prospecting<br />
are being considered. Mr Wanjik said that a network of various groups who<br />
work together to look at the prospects for bio prospecting has been formed in<br />
Papua New Guinea under the an institution known as PNG BIONET. He said<br />
that any request to conduct marine scientific research on biodiversity in Papua<br />
New Guinea’s marine areas has to be cleared by PNG BIONET. Mr. Wanjik<br />
informed participants that Papua New Guinea has a standing arrangement<br />
with Australia’s scientific research organization, CSIRO, on the commercial<br />
utilization of such resources.<br />
Benefits distribution<br />
With regard to the benefits distribution scheme from land-based<br />
mining, Mr. Wanjik said that all benefits are shared between the province in<br />
which the mining project takes place, the landowners and the indigenous<br />
people.<br />
In the draft Offshore Mining Policy, Mr. Wanjik said that the emphasis<br />
is on a distribution scheme wherein resources found in the ocean will be<br />
developed for the entire country rather than to be distributed to a province or<br />
landowners.<br />
SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSIONS<br />
The discussions following Mr. Wanjik’s presentation focussed on the<br />
distinction between marine scientific research and mineral exploration. One<br />
participant, noting that Mr. Wanjik had raised this matter in his presentation<br />
said that in his country their scientists normally advised the government on<br />
these matters. In this regard, this participant said that he had been informed<br />
that scientific research involved studies on the natural phenomena of the sea<br />
including the seabed. He said that the emphasis placed on this activity was<br />
the study of natural phenomena. He had also been informed that prospecting<br />
is an effort to find out whether or not there are resources in that natural set-<br />
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 374
Change language