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From the surface to the seabed - can BBNJ and the ISA coexist?

Sustainability and environment
Society and economy

SIDE EVENT: Areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) cover almost half of our planet’s surface. For the first time in history, the newly finalised BBNJ treaty offers a legal framework to manage these areas. While the path to ratification is slowly advancing, a new target for exploitation in international waters is emerging: seabed mining. While the vast majority of life on the deep sea floor remains undescribed, a precautionary approach is now pitted against a growing interest to exploit the metals found on the ocean floor.

Seminar
Date
10 Jun 2025
Time
10:00 - 11:15
Location
ELMI room 2B08, Université Côte d'Azur, ELMI - Graduate School of Economics and Management at Campus Saint Jean d’Angély, 5 rue du 22ème BCA 06300 Nice.
Cost
Open seminar
Good to know
This seminar is a part of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France 2025.
Organizer
Centre for Sea and Society, University of Gothenburg

In this side event, we aim to raise a discussion: Can a legal framework for activities in ABNJ be effective while setting an arbitrary boundary between the seabed and the waters above? Is it possible to safeguard BBNJ while starting a new invasive and risky industry in the same areas declared as “protected”? And what is required from the member states of the ISA to ensure the guiding principles of a science-based approach are not thrown overboard?

By bringing together experts from both policy and marine science backgrounds, we want to bridge the gap between legal and research perspectives on international waters and the seafloor. It’s time to talk about the ocean in its entirety - from the surface to the seabed.

Panelists

  • Maila Guilhon: Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
  • Lisa Levin: Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  • Jihyun Lee: The Ocean Project
  • Simon Holmström: Seas at Risk
  • Niels Krabbe: University of Gothenburg

Moderators

  • Lydia Rysavy, University of Gothenburg
  • Alexander Ahl, University of Gothenburg

Livestream

Send an email to Malin Rosengren to get a zoom link to the seminar.

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