Felix Chaudhary 
[File Photo]
The Fiji Council of Social Services claims significant gaps in Fiji’s legislative framework regarding deep sea mining (DSM) have been flagged in a Monash University report commissioned late last year.
While presenting a summary of the report at the Pacific Blue Line (PBL) Regional meeting in Suva last week, FCOSS executive director Vani Catanasiga raised concerns about its potential environmental, socio-economic and cultural impacts.
She emphasised the importance of protecting Fiji’s marine ecosystems, and coastal and indigenous communities from unregulated DSM activities at the Pacific Blue Line Regional meeting convened by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG).
“The report makes it clear that while there is currently no DSM in Fiji, legal loopholes could allow its approval in the future,” said Catanasiga.
“We must act now to ensure that our laws reflect the Melanesian Spearhead Group’s 2023 Udaune Declaration’s intent and that community voices drive decision-making.”
The report said despite announcements by Government supporting a 10 year moratorium as far back as 2020, Fiji lacks a legally enforceable moratorium on DSM, and existing legal frameworks do not explicitly prohibit it.
According to the report, current legislation, including the Mining Act 1965 and the International Seabed Mineral Management Act 2013, allow for DSM exploration licenses but do not regulate or prevent potential exploitation.
The report also said DSM could negatively impact indigenous communities, whose cultural and spiritual ties to the ocean are recognized under domestic and international law.
Of concern is the fact that several Pacific nations, including Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, have allowed DSM exploration despite signing the Udaune Declaration on Climate Change at the MSG Leaders Summit in August 2023.
FCOSS called for urgent legal reforms to strengthen protections against DSM and ensure compliance with international obligations such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) at the gathering.
“As FCOSS, we will be pushing for a legally binding ban on DSM in Fiji’s waters,” added Catanasiga.
“This means amending key laws such as the Environment Management Act, iTaukei Affairs Act, and Fisheries Act to explicitly prohibit DSM and preserve our ocean for future generations.”
The PANG-organised Talanoa is taking place on the sidelines of the first High Level Dialogue on Deep Sea Mining in Suva.
