Today, 26 June, at the OSPAR Ministerial Meeting in Vigo, governments from across the Northeast Atlantic took an important step toward safeguarding one of the planet’s last untouched ecosystems: the deep sea. For the first time, the Ministerial Declaration explicitly states that OSPAR will apply the precautionary principle to deep-sea mining and may adopt appropriate measures to address this threat.
The deep sea is a fragile, barely explored ecosystem that is home to unique species, slow-growing corals, and lifeforms that have evolved over millennia. Scientists have repeatedly warned that deep-sea mining would cause irreversible damage to these ecosystems, long before we fully understand them.
A majority of OSPAR Contracting Parties support a ban, moratorium, or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, part of a growing group of 37 champion countries. With Norway remaining the only OSPAR country actively pursuing deep-sea mining within its waters, the political message from the rest of the region was clear: the priority must be protection, not exploitation.
The OSPAR Ministerial Meeting is the highest decision-making body of the OSPAR Convention, a regional sea convention tasked with protecting the marine environment of the Northeast Atlantic. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) regulates deep-sea mining in international waters, which also exist in the OSPAR Maritime Area. Their mandates overlap geographically, which is why the Vigo Declaration emphasised the importance of collaboration between OSPAR and the ISA.
The initiative to address deep-sea mining at this level was led by Seas At Risk and Greenpeace as observer organisations. While the final language could have gone further, the Declaration marks an important precedent and opens the door to a regional moratorium on deep-sea mining.
Seas At Risk and Greenpeace International, as observer organisations, led the initiative to address deep-sea mining at the OSPAR level. Despite the final language falling slightly short of stronger commitment, the Declaration marks an important precedent and opens the door to a regional moratorium on deep-sea mining.
This outcome also sends a clear message ahead of the July meetings of the International Seabed Authority (ISA): there is growing momentum toward urgently applying the precautionary principle to this industry. The pressure is mounting for the ISA to shift its focus – from enabling exploitation to safeguarding the ocean.
Posted on: 26 June 2025
