Transcript
KELVIN PASSFIELD: We don't know yet what is exactly down there. There's been very little research on what biodiverstiy is down there. There was a very interesting article in the National Geographic not long ago [and] in that Dr Craig smith from the University of Hawaii pointed out that some biodiversity - some little animals that live on the manganese nodules, and they live on the manganese nodules because they're manganese nodules. If they weren't there, these things wouldn't exist. So, you know, we have to be careful if we're going to start taking away the home of something, basically, before we even really know what it is, and what benefits it may have to society, either now or in the future.
TIM GLASGOW: Do you feel like the government is taking these concerns seriously?
KP: I think they're taking them seriously up to a point. I do really think that their main goal is the economics of the situation the income to be derived. And I understand that, you know we are not a rich country, but we're not really a poor country these days, but any additional income that could raise the standards of education and health and maybe raise the standard of living, and maybe encourage Cook Islanders to come back home wouldn't be a bad thing - and that's the way the government is selling the seabed mining. I think they need to be very conscious of the damage it might do, and just don't rush in where angels fear to tread I guess.
TG: Ideally, what kind of research and preliminary things do you think they'll need to put in place before they even start exploring?
KP: I think one of the concerns is the cost of this deep sea research, which is why the mining companies, or companies linked to mining companies will be putting in for the exploration licences and their prime objective is the money - it's all about the money. Our concern is that these people are concentrating on the economic benefit and the technology to get toe nodules up, whereas we would like to see at least an equal emphasis on the biodiversity and the potential environmental impacts on that biodiversity. So we would like to see any exploration licence having a condition that there must be a partner in that exploration programme of a research institution, perhaps someone doing their PhD at one of the universities or good supervision from a good research division at a university, or from NIWA - the National Institute of Water and Air in New Zealand to be involved at the same time, to keep a close eye on exactly what is there and give some feedback and advice on what could be done on the impacts, or if the mining should, in fact, go ahead at all.
