Take mining claims with a grain of silt

BIG DIG: The proposed Trans-Tasman Resources mining vessel will have a crew of 140, a helipad and operate 24/7.

Conservation Comment by John Milnes

TRANS-Tasman Resources' proposal to disturb our seabed by the mining of 50 million tonnes of ocean bottom a year for 35 years was supposed to take the precautionary principle into account. I find it hard to believe that it has.

This mining will total 1.8 billion tonnes in that period, 90 per cent of which is returned to the ocean. A fair amount of this will be a plume of muddy silt which will be deposited for long distances along the coast from Taranaki to somewhere south of Whanganui.

The argument that the rivers also deposit silt along the coast is true, but this is intermittent and allows the movement of the ocean a chance to clear it, and the sea life a chance to cope and re-inhabit their environment.

The plume from the mining, though, will be continuous, making it far more difficult for sea life to continue to survive. Sponges, for example, are likely to be affected.

I recently read an article in the Dominion Post titled "The zoo beneath our feet", which described the amazing complexity of life in the soil.

"A teaspoon of good loam may contain a billion bacteria, metres of fungal strands, several thousand protozoas and a few dozen nematodes."

In this article, Adrian Higgins goes on to explain how we are just beginning to understand this complexity and its inter-relationship with plants, the atmosphere and the rest of the environment.

After reading this it emphasised to me that if we are just becoming aware of how complex the soil is, then we are even further from understanding the complexity of life on the ocean floor and its relation to the rest of life within the water body.

This inter-relationship runs from within the ocean floor, to sponges on the bottom to the fish, dolphins and whales that inhabit the ocean above.

I doubt that they have done more than a cursory study of the complexity of life that exists in the area that is likely to be affected by the mining, but it is very convenient for TTR to tell us that the ocean bottom that they plan to disturb has little life.

Other questions that need a better answer than we've had are how many jobs, short and long term, will really be for New Zealanders?

Do they have any idea how much the noise will affect dolphins and whales?

What guarantee that we won't be left with a mess to clean up if they cut and run?

TTR should be required to deposit a substantial security fund to cover such an eventuality.

It should also be mandatory for the venture to be abandoned if an independent agency determines that the environment will be seriously damaged if the mining continues.

We need to take precautions when it comes to messing with our environment. We also
need to take precautions, as well as a grain of salt, when listening to the promises of those wanting to make a fortune from exploiting our environment.

■John Milnes is a conservationist, past Green Party candidate, trustee of Sustainable Whanganui, grandfather, and advocate for our environment whenever he can.