Workshop on Cobalt-Rich Crusts and the Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Seamount Fauna

Agenda | Participants

In March 2006 the International Seabed Authority held the 8th of its series of workshops at its headquarters entitled “Cobalt-crusts and the diversity and distribution patterns of seamount fauna”

The current workshop is being held in order to determine the impact that exploration and mining activities related to cobalt-rich crusts will have on seamounts and their associated biodiversity.  Issues to be addressed include the biogeography of seamount species in order to determine whether localised impact will have global implications.  This knowledge will allow for a better determination of the data and information that will be required from contractors when establishing environmental baselines and associated monitoring programmes.

The aims of the workshop on Cobalt-crusts and the diversity and distribution patterns of seamount fauna” are to:

• Assess patterns of diversity and endemism of seamount fauna including the factors that drive these patterns;
• Examine gaps in current knowledge of these patterns with a view to encouraging collaborative research to address them, and  
• Provide the Legal and Technical Commission with recommendations to assist it to  develop environmental guidelines for future contractors.

The workshop hopes to provide a forum for experts to highlight relevant research activities that can address the gaps in knowledge.  These research activities may already be competed, currently underway or planned for the future.  The meeting is also an opportunity for participants to develop collaborations for the future.

Maps
These maps on cobalt-rich crusts locations were created using current data held with the Authority and from Seamounts Online.

• Map 1: Cobalt rich crusts locations potentially feasible for mining within presumed area of particular commercial interest
• Map 2: Cobalt rich crusts and seamounts environments in the Area - Potential conflicts based on available data and known locations
• Map 3: Cobalt rich crusts and seamounts environments in the Area - 18oSouth - 46o North / 80o West - 20o East
• Map 4: Cobalt rich crusts and seamounts environments in the Area - 12o-50o North / 136o -180o East
• Map 5: Cobalt rich crusts and seamounts environments in the Area - 0oSouth - 55o North / 90o West - 180oWest

Presentations
All powerpoint presentations have been converted to pdf format to allow easy download and access. Some of the presentations however are quite large in size. We would therefore suggest that these presentation be downloaded first to your hard drive prior to opening it. Presentations for the first day's session are as follows:

Monday 27 March 2006

• Legal Framework for the Environmental Protection on protecting and exploration for cobalt-rich crusts (168kb) - Dr  Frida Armas Pfirter, Member of LTC
• Cobalt crusts and the diversity and distribution patterns of seamounts fauna (898kb) - Dr Tony Koslow
• CenSeam developing a global baseline and synthesis of seamount biodiversity data  (3218kb)- Dr Malcolm Clark, Dr Ashley Rowden, Dr Karent Stocks, Dr Mireille Consalvey
• Seamounts and cobalt rich ferromanganese crusts  (4557KB) - Dr James Hein
• Seamounts Online and its application to ISA concerns (2765kb) - Dr Karen Stock
• Megafauna baselines of cobalt rich ferromanganese crusts in the west part of the Pacific Ocean:Magellan Seamounts (2670kb) - Dr V Yubko
• French Seamount Studies (11,706 kb) - Dr Richer de Forges
• Soviet and Russian studies on seamount biology (3547kb) - Dr Tina Molodtsova

28 March 2006

• Western South Atlantic Seamounts: A Brazilian Perspective (5747kb)- Dr Lucia de Siqueira Campos
• Seamount studies in the Indian Ocean (4364kb) - Dr Baban Ingole
• European North Atlantic seamount studies (8097kb) - Dr Bernd Christiansen
• Seamount studies in the NW Atlantic (3967kb)- Professor Les Watling
• Seamount ophuiroids: diversity, extent, reliability and patterns of distribution and endemism -(1625kb) Dr Tim O'Hara
• Seamount sponges: diversity, extent, reliability and patterns of distribution and endemism -  (2146 kb) Dr Thomas Schlacher
• Seamount corals: diversity, extent, reliability and patterns of distribution and endemism -       (2458 kb) Dr Alex Rogers
• Genetic studies of seamount faunas: Lessons for dispersal, colonization and connectivity -      (4169 kb) Dr Tim Shank
• General deepsea biogeography - perspectives from the abyssal plain (8904 kb) - Dr Craig Smith
• Modeling seamount diversity and biogeography (2896 kb) - Dr Derek Tittensor