Valuation of the impact of deep sea mining
Summary
Little Blue Research conducted research to value the environmental impacts associated with deep sea mining for a management consulting firm.
Client description
Capitals
Management consulting firm
Mid-size
NATURAL
Client need
The client required technical support to develop a database of relevant environmental economic values for six impacts associated with deep sea mining compared to land-based mining including biodiversity, forestry, water, displaced fishing, agriculture, and tourism. The client also wanted to understand the limitations associated with different sources of information. The work was conducted within a tight time frame to fit within the timings of a broader project.
The challenge
Finding relevant environmental economic valuation literature across the six impact topics and specifically for issues related to deep sea mining.
Identifying relevant spatial data for fishing areas within the different geographic areas selected for analysis.
The results
A valuation database was provided to the client, across specific geographies relating to the following environmental impact topics:
o Forest ecosystem services
o Marine ecosystem services
o Biodiversity
o Fisheries
o Agriculture
o Tourism.
