Seabed Mining and Biodiversity Conservation in the Deep Sea: Where Science meets Policy

The lecture
Deep seabed mining is of rising interest and coming closer to a reality, presumably motivated by the need for rare metals to electrify transport systems.  This presentation will highlight the deep-sea ecosystems being targeted for seabed mining, their biodiversity and why it matters, and the potential threats from seabed mining. Alongside the science, the complex management challenges posed by this nascent industry under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea will be discussed. 

Practical information
Coffee and refreshments will be served from 15.45, and the lecture starts 16.15 in Egget, Studentsenteret (Parkveien 1).

Everyone is welcome! The lecture is intended for a wider audience, will be held in English, and is part of the Horizons seminar series of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences dedicated to big questions. 

Find a recording of the event here.

About the lecturer
Lisa A. Levin is a Distinguished Professor of Biological Oceanography emerita at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.  She is passionate about the deep sea and researches the ecology of different ecosystems on deep continental margins, their vulnerability to climate change and to human resource extraction. She serves as scientific co-lead for both the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative and the Deep-Ocean Observing Strategy. Over the past 40 years Lisa has led or participated in over 50 expeditions to the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.  Levin is a recipient of lifetime achievement awards from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography and the Western Society of Naturalists, and the Prince Albert 1 Grand medal in Science.

Organisers
This lecture is a joint event organised by the Horizon Lecture Committee at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub, supported by Selskapet til vitenskapenes fremme.