Deep-sea mining legislation in Pacific Island countries: From the perspective of public participation in approval procedures

Pacific Island countries have been active in developing deep-sea mining management mechanisms. Some of those countries have enacted their own Seabed Minerals Act. Given the strong environmental concerns about deep-sea mining, it is important to consider how deep-sea mining legislation in Pacific Island countries is equipped to address those concerns. This study argues that the legal framework for environmentally sound deep-sea mining requires an appropriate combination of mining and environmental laws. It focuses on the linkage between mining and environmental laws and examines deep-sea mining legislation in four Pacific Island countries: The Cook Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. To facilitate an examination of the connection between the two regulatory schemes, this study analyzes public participation in the approval processes by mining and environmental authorities. The analysis results demonstrate that the development of environmental law is a key factor in a sustainable deep-sea mining legal framework.