Kenya has joined a growing international push calling for a precautionary pause or moratorium on deep seabed mining, citing concerns over scientific uncertainty and potential harm to fragile marine ecosystems.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The announcement was made on Wednesday, June 17, during discussions on deep-sea governance at the 11th Our Oceans Conference in Mombasa, where government officials warned that global interest in seabed mining is advancing faster than the regulatory framework meant to control it.

Deep seabed mining targets potato-sized mineral nodules found at depths of between 4,000 and 6,000 metres under the ocean floor. The deposits contain manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements that are critical to technologies such as electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and smartphones.

“The interest in deep seabed mining is advancing faster than the architecture that guides it,” Principal Secretary for Mining Harry Kimtai said.

📌 What You Need to Know

Adding, “That is why Kenya is lending its voice to calls for a precautionary pause on deep-seabed mining until there is sufficient science to support evidence-based decisions. We are yet to get there. We support the precautionary pause.”

Kenya now joins 42 countries that have backed calls for a global pause as pressure builds on governments to slow exploration of the deep ocean until environmental risks are better understood.

Environmental groups say proceeding without full impact assessments would be a high-risk gamble for marine ecosystems that remain poorly studied and highly sensitive.

Scientists warn that mining at such depths could disrupt slow-growing and highly adapted marine life, destroy fragile habitats and generate sediment plumes that could spread far beyond extraction sites.

Officials in Nairobi say the country’s position is grounded in science and caution. Kimtai said Kenya has made progress in geospatial mapping but has not yet undertaken offshore seabed exploration, reinforcing the need for evidence-based decision-making.

He also urged greater investment in scientific research and knowledge gaps and called for a shift toward circular economy approaches as a more sustainable alternative to seabed mining.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke