Panama joined the 32 countries that support the precautionary pause against international seabed mining, during the twenty-ninth Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) that takes place in Kingston, Jamaica.

At this meeting, Panama reaffirmed its role as an international blue leader, being part of the 32 countries and more than 700 organizations, convinced of the potential harmful effects of this practice on marine ecosystems, of an area that is a common heritage of humanity.

“We cannot support the mining of the area, an area rich in biodiversity, with millions of species still to be identified and with complex ecological interactions that have not yet been widely explored,” said Luisa Araúz, representative of Panama in the Assembly.

Araúz, in his speech, said that this pause should be maintained until a solid regulatory framework is established and the scientific information necessary to protect the marine environment is available.

“As blue leaders, we firmly believe that the protection of the ocean is essential to face the crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution,” he said.

The recent interest in ocean mining on the international seabed is due to the existence of mineral deposits such as polymetallic nodules, ferromanganesian crusts rich in cobalt and polymetallic sulfides.

These deposits are seen as an essential source of minerals necessary for the global energy transition, however, the request of the State of Nauru in 2021 for the ISA to complete the rules of exploitation has generated concern about the environmental and social threats that this activity represents.