The Atlantic regional environmental management plan (REMP) project

The Atlantic REMP Project was led by Seascape Consultants Ltd and worked closely with the secretariat of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to support its efforts to develop a Regional Environmental Management Plan (REMP) for the Area in the North Atlantic, focusing on the polymetallic sulphide deposits of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The project supported three meetings:

1. To assess how other offshore industries are managed from an environmental perspective, that took place in Paris in May 2019
2. To review all relevant scientific information, that took place in Évora, Portugal in November 2019
3. To identify potential management measures based on the scientific review, including spatial and non-spatial measures that could be included in the REMP, that took place by video conference in November/December 2020

The meetings were provided with a detailed Regional Environmental Assessment (REA) and data report, both produced by the project. The report from the 3rd meeting is being considered by the ISA’s Legal and Technical Commission to produce a draft REMP for approval by the ISA’s Council.

Additionally, a data report was compiled for the mid-ocean ridge area in the South Atlantic and a special issue publication in "Frontiers in Marine Science" is being produced to encourage papers on ocean ridges worldwide. An analysis of other stakeholders in the North Atlantic was produced as well as a review of their stakeholder consultation approaches.

You can find this work on the website of the Publications Office of the European Union by clicking here.