Affiliation:
1. Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
Abstract
Abstract
Van Dover, C. L. 2011. Mining seafloor massive sulphides and biodiversity: what is at risk? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 341–348. Scientific exploration of the deep sea in the late 1970s led to the discovery of seafloor massive sulphides at hydrothermal vents. More recently, sulphide deposits containing high grades of ore have been discovered in the southwest Pacific. In addition to metal-rich ores, hydrothermal vents host ecosystems based on microbial chemoautotrophic primary production, with endemic invertebrate species adapted in special ways to the vent environment. Although there has been considerable effort to study the biology and ecology of vent systems in the decades since these systems were first discovered, there has been limited attention paid to conservation issues. Three priority recommendations for conservation science at hydrothermal vent settings are identified here: (i) determine the natural conservation units for key species with differing life histories; (ii) identify a set of first principles for the design of preservation reference areas and conservation areas; (iii) develop and test methods for effective mitigation and restoration to enhance the recovery of biodiversity in sulphide systems that may be subject to open-cut mining.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Ecology,Aquatic Science,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics,Oceanography
Cited by
127 articles.
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