Seamounts

The purpose of this study on seamount and hydrothermal vent ecosystems is to review the state of knowledge on the subject matter in order to better guide decision-making processes to develop and implement conservation and sustainable management measures, as well as to discuss knowledge gaps and present recommendations.

Seamounts in the central-west Pacific Ocean are known to have thick, cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. These are of commercial interest for mining. However, very little is known about the faunal communities on these seamounts, and in particular whether they could be different from those that occur on seamounts which do not have thick cobalt-rich crusts.

This publication presents proposals from a management workshop on conservation and management measures applicable to high seas areas in the Southern Indian Ocean regarding: (i) a biodiversity initiative; (ii) the principles, objectives and process included in the draft road map developed in support of the initiative; (iii) the concept, advantages and potential members of the alliance proposed to further develop the Initiative; and (iv) the collaborative arrangement needed to formalize the all

This publication presents a legal and institutional gap analysis of the project area, covering five seamount regions, two of which are inside proposed Benthic Protected Areas (BPAs), Atlantis Bank and Coral Seamount, and three outside BPAs. It proposes improvements to the legal and institutional framework.

The individual and cumulative threats to and effects of the full range of human activities on marine ecosystems and biodiversity in general, and seamounts in particular, in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) are still largely unknown. These threats and their effects must be taken into account in order to be able to develop a robust, holistic ecosystem-based management scheme.

Seamounts are topographic rises of the seabed with a limited extent across the summit. There is evidence that seamounts form hotspots of biological activity in the oceans. Why seamounts host abundant populations of fish and other pelagic and aquatic predators is still uncertain.

This document summarizes discussions that were held during a workshop in December 2011 and which focused on making progress on the identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas for seamounts in the high seas.