EAPSI: Investigating ocean territory and resource sovereignty through seabed mining in South Pacific Island Nations

EAPSI：通过南太平洋岛国海底采矿调查海洋领土和资源主权随着陆地资源的减少，世界将目光投向近海，以满足对食物、燃料和矿物日益增长的需求。深海海底正成为大规模采矿的目标，随着全球市场的变化和技术的进步，大规模采矿直到最近才成为可能。然而，从深海海底开采稀有金属和矿物对资源管理人员提出了若干重大挑战，并突破了科学知识、技术能力和体制能力的极限。该项目将调查新西兰和其他南太平洋岛屿国家为深海海底资源开发奠定基础的新出现的管理战略。新西兰是南太平洋地区一个重要的经济力量，在该地区具有相当大的影响力。它也是最早探索海底采矿的国家之一，这使得它成为这项研究的一个至关重要的地点。与奥克兰大学的Nick Lewis博士合作，该项目将采用混合方法，利用档案、访谈和空间规划数据。它将审查新西兰新出现的资源管理战略，以及其在区域治理范围内的作用。专属经济区（EEZ）赋予沿海国家一种以资源为基础的主权，其范围可达离岸200海里。事实证明，管理这些广阔的海洋领土对历史上发展起来的管理土地的机构具有挑战性。太平洋岛国被认为从开发海底资源中获益最多，因为它们的专属经济区比资源有限的岛国要大得多。这项调查的结果对发展中岛屿国家将是重要的，因为它们正努力以较少的经济和政府资源推进具体的海底管理战略。此外，这项工作将解决海洋资源管理背景下领土、环境治理和自然商品化过程中关键地理学术的重大差距。NSF EAPSI奖是与新西兰皇家学会合作资助的。

EAPSI: Investigating ocean territory and resource sovereignty through seabed mining in South Pacific Island NationsAs land-based resources are diminishing, the world is looking offshore to satisfy growing appetites for food, fuel and minerals. The deep seabed is being targeted for large-scale mining, which has only recently become possible with changes in global markets and advancing technologies. However, mining rare metals and minerals from the deep seabed present a number of significant challenges to resource managers, and push the limits of scientific knowledge, technical ability and institutional capacity. This project will investigate the emerging management strategies in New Zealand and other South Pacific Island Nations as they lay the groundwork for deep seabed resource development. New Zealand is a prominent economic force in the South Pacific and has considerable influence in the region. It is also one of the first nations exploring seabed mining, which makes it a critically important site for this research. In collaboration with Dr. Nick Lewis at the University of Auckland, this project will employ a mixed methods approach utilizing archives, interviews and spatial planning data. It will examine emerging resource management strategies in New Zealand, as well as its role within the regional governance context. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) give coastal nations a form of resource-based sovereignty up to 200 nautical miles from shore. Managing these vast ocean territories has proved challenging to institutions historically developed to govern land. Pacific Island Nations are presumed to have the most to gain from developing seabed resources because their EEZs are much larger than the resource-limited island nations. Results of this investigation will be important to developing island nations, as they struggle to advance concrete seabed management strategies with fewer economic and governmental resources. Additionally, this work will address a significant gap in critical geography scholarship on processes of territory, environmental governance and the commodification of nature in the context of marine-based resource management. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the Royal Society of New Zealand.