The effect of marine mining plume settlement on the seabed communities off southern Namibia

Abstract

Abstract by author:

The benthic environment of the continental shelf off the Southern Namibia was examined using surveys from underwater videotapes collected by the research submersible Jago during 1999. The Videotapes represent archived transect records from the offshore concession areas that are being mined and explored by De Beers Marine (Pty) Ltd on behalf of Namdeb Diamond Corporation. The areas to the nearest mining operation were investigated to assess the impacts of plume settlement on the epifaunal communities. The results indicated that mining affect the physical as well as biological structures of the environment, i. e. the blanketing of outcrop features affects epifaunal community composition adjacent to mined areas. It appears that blanketing of the seafloor was evident up to about 750 metres from mined areas. This study therefore points to the importance of addressing plume settlement and effects thereof also in areas adjacent to mining as part of mining impact assessments