Environmental Information
Chatham Rock Phosphate is acutely aware of its responsibilities to conduct both the mineral prospecting programme and extraction of the rock phosphate, in a manner causing minimal disruption to the marine environment.
We have engaged the relevant NZ Government Crown Research Institute, the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), to help us ensure that our activities cause minimal disruption to the marine environment and we do not impact adversely on animal or plant habitats. Specifically, NIWA (which has already mapped the Chatham Rise seabed and its flora and fauna in close detail) will assist us in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the way we will need to operate to minimise environmental impact from potential extraction activities. This involves our plans for both sampling and extraction.
Our prospecting licence requires all prospecting or extraction activity will be undertaken strictly in accordance with the environmental guidelines published by the International Marine Minerals Society “Code for Environmental Management of Marine Mining”.