Cook Islands deep Seabed EBMF & SEA
EBMF (Ecosystem Based Management Framework) / SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment)
What are they?
The EBMF is the holistic framework for environmental programmes and associated stakeholder engagement.
The SEA is a regional (CI EEZ) high-level environmental assessment for the Cook Islands deep seabed. It informs government policy.
Environmental baseline data is key scientific information that informs both the SEA and EIA.
The project level EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) supports a development application.
The EBMF can be seen a bit like a bicycle
1. ebmf Documentation
1.3/4 Technical Report, Annexes on the EBMF - under review
Progress to date on the SEA
2. SEA - MSA (Marine Spatial Assessment)
Our seabed can be classified into different habitat management zones for better management.
3. SEA - EA (effects Assessment)
High level, structured look at how significant impacts could be, and the confidence in what we know.
4. SEA - CIA (Cumulative impact Assessment)
Any seabed minerals extraction is not in isolation. How other marine users and climate change interact.
Due end 2024
5. SEA - REMP (REgional Environmental MAnagement Plan)
Your review of assessments, before government policy is updated.
Due mid 2025
Progress to date in other areas
Environmental baseline data is being collected by both exploration licence holders and marine scientific researchers. SBMA is contributing via the ARTEX and WISE initiatives.
All environmental data in the Cook Islands goes into the public domain. SBMA maintains a public data repository for both environmental and legacy information.
Exploration licence holders are prescribed to go through the EIA process (per regulations and their approved workplans). Currently they are preparing environmental scoping exercises.