Human Incursion Into The Seas Accelerates; Even Deep-Ocean Vents Explored For Mining
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To illustrate how the blue acceleration is playing out in the water, the paper examines three case studies. Among them is the scaly-foot snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum), an endangered gastropod known only from three sites, all of them deep-sea hydrothermal vent systems. Several claims affect the scaly-foot snail, also known as the “sea pangolin.” Exploratory mining leases granted to China and Germany span two of its three home vent systems, both in international waters. The third vent system falls within the exclusive economic zone of Mauritius and is safe from mining — for now.
The endangered scaly-foot snail (Chyrsomallon squamiferum) is known from just three populations, all of them at least 2,450 meters (8,038 feet) below the sea surface. Left to right: a snail from the Kairei vent field, Central Indian Ridge; a snail from Longqi vent field, Southwest Indian Ridge; a snail from Solitaire vent field, Central Indian Ridge, Mauritius. Image courtesy of Chong Chen, 2015. (CC BY-SA 3.0).
The U.S. Department of Defense has also sought out the snail itself, focusing biological-based modeling and design research on its unique, three-layered armor. And the snail’s genetic material has been deposited in GenBank, an open-access database serving the biotechnology industry. All these claims were made before a comprehensive study of the snail or its habitats was undertaken, and before a consensus has been reached on how to mitigate ecological damage by mining. The study points out that the scaly-foot snail’s survival as a species now lies in the hands of just three countries: China, Germany and Mauritius.
“Seabed grabs”
The authors argue that in recent years a significant geopolitical evolution has taken the form of a “seabed grab.” The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea permits coastal countries to claim an extended area of continental shelf beyond the limit of their exclusive economic zones, which end 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from shore.
To date, 83 countries have at least initiated claims to a total of 37 million square kilometers (14.3 million square miles) of seafloor, an area more than twice the size of Russia. In fact, the paper reports, the combined “seabed grabs” since 2001 are almost 80 times larger than reported “land grabs” since 2000. These seabed claims raise questions about who benefits from the ocean as coastal states expand their sovereignty into maritime space formerly shared internationally. Overlapping claims to continental shelf areas have cropped up, with the potential to transform the geopolitical landscape.
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https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/the-blue-acceleration-study-shows-humans-surging-incursions-into-the-sea/
