As pressures now extend to the High Seas and deep oceans hosting the least explored areas on the planet assumed to be the largest reservoirs of nonrenewable resources, habitats and biomass which still harbour undiscovered ecosystems and species, serve as cradles of new species and contribute significantly to planetary biodiversity. Deep sea mining, which would be expected to occur in the near future because of increasing commercial and strategic interest, is envisioned to be the largest scale human activity to directly impact the deep seafloor. Thus the concern for potential and real threats to the deep sea diversity, have provided an incentive to efforts aiming at exploring the structure and function of benthic communities in the abyss and at proposing different conservation strategies for different ecosystems. This event has for objectives to describe summarily different ecosystems associated to polymetallic nodules, ferro-manganese crusts and cobalt-rich crusts, hydrothermal sulphids and to draw series of recommendations in matters of conservation of biodiversity in areas to be impacted by deep sea mining. The following outputs of the panel discussion are expected: - Scientific note on “The Biology, Ecology and Vulnerability of faunal communities of polymetallic nodule , hydrothermal polymetallic sulphids and cobalt-rich crusts ecosystems” - Scientific recommendations proposed by UNESCO/IOC: “Proposed scientific recommendations on options for the conservation and management of the biodiversity of ecosystems associated to exploitable mineral resources (polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts, sulphids) in abyssal and bathyal domains. These two documents will circulate among participants as drafts to complete before the panel discussion. Afterwise, the final drafts would then be transferred to the Deep Seabed Authority (ISBA) which has for mandate to establish and keep under periodic review environmental rules, regulations and procedures to ensure effective protection for the marine environment from harmful effects which may arise from activities in the Area. ---------- La table ronde a pour objectif de décrire sommairement l'état des connaissances sur les différents écosystèmes (nodules polymétalliques, encroûtements de ferro-manganèse et de cobalt et sulphures hydrothermales) et de proposer une série de recommandations en matière de conservation de la biodiversité face aux impacts que susciterait l'exploitation de ces minerais. En effet, il est urgent de décrire ces écosystèmes particuliers et de proposer des lignes directrices pour la conservation de leur biodiversité alors que notamment l'exploitation des sulfures et d'autres minérais hydrothermaux est d'actualité. Ces propositions seront ensuite transférées à l'Autorité Internationale des Fonds Marins (ISA).

9h - 12h 14h-18h