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MARINFORSK-Marine ressurser og miljø

Mine Tailing Effects on Deep-sea Ecosystems: an international workshop

Alternative title: Effekter av gruveavgang på dyphavsøkosystemer: en internasjonal workshop

Awarded: NOK 0.15 mill.

With increasing societal demands for mineral resources, mining at the global scale is in a phase of growth. Mining activities produce vast amounts of waste formed by the non-processed overburden rock and the processed tailings, which are is the fine-particle slurry waste produced after the extraction of the targeted metal. Tailings often include metals and chemicals used during processing. Thus, with their vast volumes and potential toxicity, mine tailings management is considered the main environmental issue of any industrial mining. The main objective of mine tailing management is to provide a safe and economical storage of the mine residues with negligible public health and safety risks and minimised social and environmental impacts. To date, most industrial mines store their tailings on dams on land, with only 0.6% mines conducting Submarine Tailing Disposal (STD). Norway, however, is particularly interesting because STDs are common practice and, thus, Norway is in a leading position in terms of technology, methods and ecological studies. Currently, there is increasing global interest in Deep-Sea Tailing Placements, with tailings depositing on very deep seafloor areas (below 1000 m). Nevertheless, limited information exists on the original ecological status, vulnerability and recovery potential of deep-sea ecosystems targeted for DSTPs. The successful development of mining activities, in Norway and globally, requires that the environmental impacts of mine tailings is addressed urgently by all interested parties (scientists, industry, decision makers, conservation organisations), to ensure impact is minimised and recovery enhanced when discharges stop. It is in this current global framework of interest that we propose to host a multi-sectorial and international workshop on deep-sea tailing placement, with the goal to identify gaps in knowledge and necessary research to develop best available practices and management criteria for DSTPs.

With increasing societal demands for mineral resources, mining at the global scale is in a phase of growth. Efforts are being made to minimise environmental impact, but management of mine tailings is a major concern and challenge in current operations. To date, only 0.6% of industrial-sized mines in 8 countries conduct Submarine Tailing Placements (STP). However, Norway is particularly interesting because STPs are common practice and, thus, Norway is in a leading position in terms of technology, methods and ecological studies. STPs are associated with a number of direct and indirect environmental impacts. The degree of impact and recovery potential of the affected ecosystem will vary depending on the abiotic and biological characteristics of the disposal area and the tailings themselves. However, limited information exists on the ecology, impact and recovery potential of ecosystems affected by STPs, and this is particularly true for deep-sea ecosystems, for which ecological data are lacking in most regions. The successful development of mining activities, in Norway and globally, requires that the issue of mine tailing management is addressed urgently by all stakeholders. It is critical that Best Available Technologies and Practices (BAT/BAP) for STPs and DSTPs (Deep-Sea Tailing Placement) are developed, to ensure that environmental impacts are understood and minimised and recovery is enhanced following the end of discharges. It is in this current global framework of interest and with the support of the international programmes INDEEP (Int. Network for Scientific Investigations of Deep-sea Ecosystems) and DOSI (Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiate) that we propose to host a multi-sectorial and international workshop on deep-sea tailing placement. The ultimate goal is to provide the basis for the identification of decision-making criteria and the development of best available practices for DSTPs.

Funding scheme:

MARINFORSK-Marine ressurser og miljø