CAIRNS - Seabed mining in the Pacific is a potential threat to the Coral Triangle ecosystems.
That's the warning from the Solomon Islands Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) chief conservation officer, Agnetha Vave Karamui after a new report found that more than 85 per cent of reefs in the Coral Triangle are directly threatened by local human activities, substantially more than the global average of 60 per cent. "Yes seabed mining is not only a threat to coral reef management but also to the migration path of marine turtles between Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
"The activities will place a huge threat to these endangered species because we are aiming to put Network of Marine Protected Areas within the protected areas that connect with PNG.
"So, seabed mining for us poses a threat to the Marine Protected Areas that we hope to achieve through this programme." Karamui told PACNEWS.
"We are now using the seascape approach to promote transboundary issues between two sovereign countries of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. There is interest for seabed mining in both countries and they are now prospecting."