Seabed mining

A national consultation on seabed mining in Tonga was held by video link-up yesterday, including representatives from the five island groups.

Church, civil society, youth groups as well as members of the fishing and tourism sectors also participated in the consultation, which was opened by the prime minister.

The Chair of Tonga's Civil Society Forum, Drew Havea, said people want more information from government about the implications of potential seabed mining.

The report, 'Predicting the impacts of mining of deep sea polymetallic nodules in the Pacific Ocean', is a fusion of more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific and other articles.

Compiled in conjunction with the Deep Sea Mining Campaign, it said there was a lack of certainty around the proposed methods of companies seeking exploration licenses in the Pacific.

But the campaign's coordinator, Helen Rosenbaum, said researchers found the risk of serious environmental damage was high.

These were the words of Bishop Charles Drennan from New Zealand.

He is part of the 80-man delegation that is in the country to attend the Assembly of Federation of Catholic Bishops Conference Oceania.

The vast ocean is the common home of countries and people in the Oceania Region.

The sub-theme; “A Sea of Possibilities”, captures the interdependency between the ocean and the people.

“The land and the sea depend so much on each other and therefore for the well-being of us and the future generations,” said Bishop Charles.

Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources and Geologist Taniela Kula said the workshop aimed to share the first draft of the regulation with stakeholders.

“The first draft of the regulation has been completed so we are here today (Tuesday) to share it with stakeholders, government ministries, NGOs and private sectors for their comments and input.”

He was involved in discussions about financial support from India during India's gathering of Pacific island countries in Jaipur last month.

India's talks with Pacific states resulted in various offers of help in areas from solar power to space technology as well as expanded trade and scholarships.

Some observers feel the Indian government of Narendra Modi is primarily keen to curry support for the country's bid for a permanent seat on the UN security council.