Deep seabed mining and adaptive management: The procedural challenges for the International Seabed Authority

Adaptive management will require procedural mechanisms through which the ISA can adjust environmental standards continuously. This article examines whether the current regulatory framework for mineral exploration provides for such flexibility. Specifically, it discusses four potential ways, including their benefits and shortcomings, in which environmental standards may be adjusted during exploration work. The discussion highlights the current lack of comprehensive mechanisms to adjust environmental standards as one of the barriers to achieving adaptive management. This provides crucial information for the design of the future regulatory framework.