Cease or prohibit marine mining

How is the evidence assessed?
  • Effectiveness
    70%
  • Certainty
    31%
  • Harms
    0%

Study locations

Key messages

  • One study examined the effects of ceasing or prohibiting mining on subtidal benthic invertebrate populations. The study was in the Bering Sea (USA).

 

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

  • Overall community composition (1 study): One site comparison study in the Bering Sea found that following cessation of gold mining, overall invertebrate community composition became similar to that of an unmined site.
  • Overall richness/diversity (1 study): One site comparison study in the Bering Sea found that following cessation of gold mining, overall invertebrate richness and diversity became similar to that of an unmined site.

POPULATION RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

  • Overall abundance (1 study): One site comparison study in the Bering Sea found that following cessation of gold mining, overall invertebrate abundance and biomass became similar to that of an unmined site.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

  1. A site comparison study in 1986–1993 of two sites of mixed seabed in the northeastern Bering Sea, Alaska, USA (Jewett & Blanchard 1999) found that ceasing gold mining at a site led to invertebrate community composition, biomass, abundance, taxa richness and diversity becoming similar to that of an unmined site, after three to five years depending on the sediment type. Community composition at the mined site had become more similar to that of the unmined site after four to five years in sandy sediments, and three years in cobbly sediments (presented as graphical analyses). In sands, invertebrate biomasses were similar to unmined sites after four years, and abundances, number of taxa and diversities were similar after five years (richness mined: 27, unmined: 33; see study for biomass, abundance and diversity data). In cobbles after three years, mined and unmined sites had similar invertebrate biomasses, abundances, number of taxa (mined: 29, unmined: 39), and diversities. An area was mined for gold in June–November 1986. Yearly in 1987–1991 and in 1993, one site in the mined area and one unmined site approximately 10 km away were surveyed. Each site had areas of sandy and areas of cobbly sediments. During each survey, divers collected three samples/sediment type/site using a suction sampler (0.1 m2, 10 cm depth). Invertebrates (>1 mm) were identified, counted and wet-weighed.

    Study and other actions tested
Please cite as:

Lemasson, A.J., Pettit, L.R., Smith, R.K. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Subtidal Benthic Invertebrate Conservation. Pages 635-732 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

Subtidal Benthic Invertebrate Conservation

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Subtidal Benthic Invertebrate Conservation
Subtidal Benthic Invertebrate Conservation

Subtidal Benthic Invertebrate Conservation - Published 2020

What Works 2021 cover

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