UNESCO-Sponsored Study Warns Against Exploitation of Deep Sea Ecosystems

An international treaty is needed to regulate the search for new products from species living on the ocean floor, a UN study has warned.

Unfettered commercial exploitation of such species poses risks to unique deep-sea ecosystems, the UN University´s Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) and UNESCO said in a joint report.

Wealthy nations such as the U.S. and Japan have been at the forefront of this type of “bioprospecting” research. But some developing countries such as India and Malaysia are exploring the bottom of the ocean too, the reports continues.

Deep-sea ecosystems include hydrothermal vents, cracks in the Earth´s crust where water is very hot and rich in iron, sulphur and other chemicals.

Compounds already isolated from these vents include enzymes that are stable at high temperatures, and have been commercialized for use in laboratory techniques.

Researchers are also studying compounds from deep-sea microbes to see if they can be used in medicines.

The report highlights the lack of regulation of access to and use of marine life in international waters. UNESCO´s Salvatore Arico, the report´s co-author, says: "These resources lie within the global commons, but are they free for anyone to take or are they the heritage and property of all humankind?"

Until a binding international treaty is in place, the authors suggest that regions create their own agreements. These would determine what each country´s nationals can do in international waters.

The report says that while binding rules are being developed, the UN General Assembly should adopt guidelines on the exploitation of deep-sea species and how benefits from them are shared.