Regional Environmental Management Plan (REMP)

Deep-Sea Mining Governance: Charting a Course for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone's environmental management plan is embedded in International Seabed Authority decision-making, yet it shapes approval more than operations. That distinction matters. A plan that guides whether mining is permitted, but not how it proceeds, leaves a critical gap in contractor accountability. The analysis points to three transmission interfaces where regional goals must meet contractor obligations, ecological evidence must meet spatial allocation, and monitoring must meet authorized action. These are not abstract ideals. They are the practical conditions for any REMP to work.