standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

“Necessary measures shall be taken in accordance with this Convention
with respect to activities in the Area to ensure effective protection for the
marine environment from harmful effects which may arise from such
activities.”
Further, the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of
the Convention provides in annex III, article 17.2(f):
“Rules, regulations and procedures shall be drawn up in order to
secure effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects
directly resulting from activities in the Area or from shipboard processing
immediately above a mine site of minerals derived from that mine site,
taking into account the extent to which such harmful effects may directly
result from drilling, dredging, coring and excavation and from disposal,
dumping and discharge into the marine environment of sediment, wastes or
other effluents.”
On 13 July 2000, the Authority approved a set of Regulations on
Prospecting and Exploration for Polymetallic Nodules in the Area. 2 .
Regulation 31.4 provides, in part:
“Each contract shall require the contractor to gather environmental
baseline data and to establish environmental baselines, taking into account
any recommendations issued by the Legal and Technical Commission
pursuant to regulation 38, against which to assess the likely effects of its
programme of activities under the plan of work for exploration on the
marine environment and a programme to monitor and report on such
effects.”
According to regulation 31.6:
“Contractors, sponsoring States and other interested States or
entities shall cooperate with the Authority in the establishment and
implementation of programmes for monitoring and evaluating the impacts
of deep seabed mining on the marine environment.”
Regulation 38.1 authorizes the Commission to “issue
recommendations of a technical or administrative nature for the guidance
of contractors to assist them in the implementation of the rules, regulations
and procedures of the Authority”.
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INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY