The Vanuatu Council of Churches has joined the Vanuatu National Council of Women in expressing concerns over deep sea mining.
The Council of Women told the minister of lands, Ralph Regenvanu and the prime minister, Moana Carcasses Kalosil in a letter last week that women don't want deep sea mining around Vanuatu as the country already faces environmental problems, natural disasters.
An executive member of the Council of Churches, Pastor Alan Nafuki, who is participating in a regional workshop on deep sea mining this week, says they are also against it.
He says he is surprised the government has granted licences to foreign companies without informing the local people.
"We need to be told about what would happen if they mine our sea. I mean the sea is our livelihood. We need to know and we need to have a say in this before anything is done."
Alan Nafuki says there are other ways to generate income rather than deep sea mining.
