Mining the deep seabed will harm biodiversity. We need to talk about it
The fledgling industry could become part of the ocean economy. But deep seabed mining will cause irreversible biodiversity loss.
Lisa Levin is a Professor of Biological Oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her research interests include the ecology and conservation of deep-ocean ecosystems and she has spent 35 years exploring and studying the deep seafloor in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Her goal is to bring science to policy decisions affecting the deep ocean. She is co-founder of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative and Co-lead of the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy.