Around a hundred local and overseas speakers, ocean lovers, local authorities and government ministers turned up to yesterday’s Deep Sea symposium which provides Cook Islands with more knowledge of deep sea mining.
Read MoreYou can read all the latest news and updates on the Cook Islands seabed minerals sector here.
Cook Islands is set to gain a deeper understanding of seabed mining through expert discussions and knowledge sharing at the 52nd Underwater Minerals Conference held at the National Auditorium.
According to its technical chair, John C. Wiltshire, the goal of the conference, which has brought about 250 scientists from across the world, is to help Cook Islands gain more knowledge on seabed mining.
The four-day conference that ends tomorrow is the world’s largest gathering of ocean mineral stakeholders.
Read MoreAn online opinion poll on deep sea mining has been criticised by the government regulator responsible for overseeing seabed minerals activities in the Cook Islands as “fundamentally flawed”.
Read MoreDear Editor, The Seabed Minerals Commissioner’s letter on Monday (March 22) didn’t answer the question of what potential risks to the environment from mining were presented to communities in the pa enua.
Read MoreFollowing a recent public consultation in the northern group and an internal policy review, the Opposition Democratic Party has come out against a ten-year moratorium on seabed mining.
Read MoreWhile Covid-19 appears to have given earth time to heal, some governments are reportedly using the pandemic to hurt conservation efforts across the globe.
Read MoreOPINION: Precautionary principle and best practise should be rigorously applied when dealing with deep sea mining, and this is what local discussion should focus on.
Read MoreThe Cook Islands opposition MP Selina Napa has asked the government to reveal what changes are being planned for the Seabed Mining Act. Ms Napa said reported statements that the changes would be made public when they are tabled in Parliament “isn’t good enough”.
Read MoreBy offering tenders for deep sea exploration the environmental risks of extracting minerals from the seabed will be able to be assessed, the Cook Islands government says. The government plans to open tenders for five-year, deep sea mining exploration licences at the beginning of next year. And while there have been concerns raised about the environmental impact of deep sea mining, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Brown, said the exploration phase would have a very low impact.
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