The Challenges of Conserving Marine Biodiversity in a Context of Sustainable Development: Traditional Perspectives on the Management of Seabed Resources in Terms of Deep-Sea Mining and its Legal Context in the Pacific Ocean

Summary. — Traditional knowledge and customary approaches are still undervalued when it comes tothe current legal and regulatory aspects of marine resource and space management, particularly in the highseas and in deep waters. In many Pacific islands, local communities have maintained for generationscultural and spiritual attachments to the sea, particularly to specific marine species and areas, processes,habitats, islands and natural seabed formations. Traditional knowledge, customary approaches to marinemanagement, and integrated relationships between biodiversity, ecosystems and local communities supporta holistic, sustainable, and equitable resource use, as recommended by contemporary ocean governance.As Pacific island countries (fig. 1) are largely governed by indigenous peoples and influenced by traditionalknowledge, a traditional governance system is often present. To some extent, the value of communitypractices and customary law, which has driven regional cooperation and coordination, is recognizedin several Pacific legal systems and in a number of regional and international instruments, but it cancertainly be enhanced. Based on this analysis, we identify the best practices and make recommendationsregarding current regulatory frameworks and approaches to seabed resource management.