The environmental NGOs ANP|WWF, Sciaena, and Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) congratulate the Portuguese Parliament for today’s general approval of legislative proposals from PAN, PS, PSD, and Livre, which establish a moratorium preventing deep-sea mining in national waters until 2050.
Deep-sea mining aims to extract minerals such as copper, cobalt, nickel, and manganese from the seabed, using heavy machinery operating under extreme and risky conditions (great depths and high pressure), locally destroying deep-sea ecosystems and disturbing others hundreds of kilometers away. Despite the limited scientific knowledge about these deep-sea habitats and the potential impacts of this activity, it is known that if the industry advances, the intensity and mining methods could destroy entire habitats, drive species to extinction, and compromise the ecosystem services that benefit humanity. This could also harm local populations, particularly coastal communities, under the false pretext of an energy transition.
The Portuguese Parliament had already taken a majority stance against this activity during the previous legislative term by approving, in general, a PAN bill to establish a moratorium on deep-sea mining in national waters. However, following the government’s collapse at the end of 2023 and the subsequent suspension of parliamentary work in early 2024, the bill—still pending completion of all procedural steps in the Parliament’s specialized committees—was rendered ineffective. This week, history was made again in Parliament, with the topic returning to discussion and receiving cross-party support for the moratorium.
Despite growing warnings about the economic and environmental impacts of deep-sea mining, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is moving forward with creating a “mining code” to regulate seabed mineral extraction. At the 2nd United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon in July 2022, several Pacific island nations announced the formation of an alliance calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in international waters. Fiji, Palau, and Samoa, which had already declared moratoriums on this type of mining in their waters, announced an alliance of countries advocating for a global moratorium. Following this, more than 30 Portuguese organizations launched a petition urging Prime Minister António Costa to declare a moratorium on deep-sea mining in Portuguese waters and to defend the same measure for international waters. The petition gathered over 2,000 citizen signatures in support of a deep-sea mining moratorium in Portugal and was accompanied by an open letter signed by 30 public figures endorsing the moratorium.
Internationally, more than 900 researchers (including many Portuguese scientists) have also called for a pause in the advancement of deep-sea mining.
In July 2023, government representatives announced at an ISA Council meeting that Portugal supports a “precautionary pause” on the advancement of deep-sea mining in international waters, citing the lack of regulations and insufficient scientific knowledge. However, the Portuguese government had not yet applied the same precautionary principle to national waters nor declared an immediate moratorium covering the entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and extended continental shelf. This gap is now addressed by the proposals approved today.
“This is the result of years of joint work between civil society, the scientific community, and policymakers, demonstrating how political decisions can align with the best scientific evidence—something highly significant in today’s world,” said Catarina Abril, Fisheries and Climate Policy Officer at Sciaena.
“Now, it is crucial that the committee discussions move forward as soon as possible to ensure that this moratorium is effectively implemented. We must avoid setbacks like those experienced in the past, when the fall of the government disrupted the legislative process, leaving deep-sea protection exposed once again,” emphasized Bianca Mattos, Policy Coordinator at ANP|WWF.
“Portugal now has an even more crucial role in leading this path among other countries, especially within Portuguese-speaking communities and nations, to promote a global moratorium on deep-sea mining. The ocean has no borders,” concluded Eugénia Barroca, Europe and Lusophony Representative for SOA.
The organizations also congratulate all those who contributed to this outcome and urge Parliament’s specialized committees to proceed as swiftly as possible so that this legislation can be approved in a final global vote and enter into force quickly. They also express their willingness to actively participate in discussions by providing technical and scientific contributions to support the final text’s consensus.
Location: Incubadora de Empresas da Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Pavilhão B1, 8005-226 Faro
Phone: +351 936 257 281
Email: sciaena@sciaena.org