Opposition to seabed mining is growing in PNG as Nautilus Minerals Inc. is planning to start underwater mining in the country in 2010.
The local people around the Bismarck and Solomon Seas are concerned because of the uncertainty surrounding the new mining methods that the company is going to use to extract metals from the seabed.
Last year, Canadian-based Nautilus Minerals discovered high-grade deposits of gold, copper and zinc mineralisation on the ocean bottom sites in the Bismarck Sea.
The company’s Solwara 1 project is expected to begin commercial mining operation in 2010 using a new undersea mining technology to extract copper, zinc, gold and other metals from massive sulfide deposits in the waters of PNG’s exclusive zone at depths of up to 2000 metres.
However, scientists have warned that undersea mining of massive sulfides has potentially devastating environmental impacts.
Damage is possible to undersea vents ecosystems from the mining itself, fish and sea-life in nearby waters from sediment spills, and surface marine and bird life from barge activity.  

 The Mining technology...that will be used to extract minerals from the sea bed.

While Nautilus states that mining will only occur on dormant vents, these are often found in close proximity to live vents and their fragile ecosystems.
A national seabed mining forum held at Karkum village in Madang in June petitioned the United Nations and the PNG Government to stop seabed mining in the country.
Indigenous concern: There were 80 participants at the forum representing local and international organisations which included Alaska University, PNG’s University of Technology, Mineral Policy Institute, NGOs, churches, villagers, landowners, and a group from Vanuatu.
An outcome of the forum was the establishment of the Bismarck-Solomon Seas Indigenous Peoples Council to raise the concerns of indigenous people regarding seabed mining.
Interim executive director of the council Wenceslaus Magun said the indigenous peoples of the Bismarck and Solomon Seas using their rights under their customary law as outlined in the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples were calling on the government and industries to stop seabed mining in their territorial seas.
He said the indigenous peoples have declared and reaffirmed at the forum that their customary rights and connections to the Bismarck and Solomon Seas including economic, cultural, social, political and religious rights be recognised.
“Our livelihood and culture is based around these oceans, and it is an inseparable part of our culture, identity and way of life.
“Our lives are interconnected with the cycles of the sea, it is our calendar and we are dependent on it for our survival,” he said.
“There has been a lack of any meaningful consultation of the indigenous people of the Bismarck and Solomon Seas regarding the effects of this mining activity.
“There are no current laws to manage this activity and the current draft proposals for a PNG seabed mining policy and an ocean’s mining act have not been made available to us”.
He said there has been a lack of adequate research to understand the seabed environment, the current, the ecology and its true value.
The impacts and changes to the environment from this activity cannot be accurately predicted.
“Using our own traditional knowledge of the complexity, richness and sensitivity of this marine environment, and calling on the international precautionary principle, we believe there could be serious long-term and potentially irreversible impacts by this activity,” Magun said.
In the statement released by the forum, concern was raised that exploration was occurring without proper regulation, monitoring or consultation across the entire region.
Concern was also raised that there had been a failure to set aside areas that will be protected from the impacts of these activities, and that sanctuaries for threatened species, and habitat and spawning and migration areas for our rich fishery resources have not been created.
The forum participants pointed out that the socio-economic and environmental costs of mining in PNG are often greater than the benefits.
They said that Nautilus had no track record from which its environmental and social responsibilities can be judged.

Minimise damage
They also pointed out that Nautilus’ parent company—Barrick Gold—has performed poorly in other areas of PNG.
Meanwhile, Nautilus Minerals Niugini country manager Mel Togolo said a significant study of the underwater environment and the possible impacts of the company’s operations had been carried out by reputable international scientists.
He said so far, there have been more than 20 scientific studies carried out.
Togolo said there would always be a disturbance to the environment in any human activity and Nautilus’ operations would not be an exception.
But he further said the company was doing its best to minimise any damage that may be caused to the environment.
A roadshow held by the company last month to inform local people about seabed explorations in the waters of East New Britain and New Ireland has met with opposition from the people.
The National newspaper reported that the people of East New Britain and New Ireland told Nautilus “to wait for another 100 years before it can consider underwater mining in PNG”.
The explorer was told that it could not push development down the people’s throats and expect no opposition from them.