The 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Campo Grande, Brazil, concluded with widespread support for a resolution and decision on prioritizing the protection of seamount ecosystems. Parties also reaffirmed the need for precaution with regards to deep-sea mining and for the industry not to proceed as long as scientific gaps remain.
The resolution and decision on Conserving Seamount Ecosystems, brought to the meeting by Panama and Monaco, was supported by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), together with its members OceanCare, WWF, WCS, IFAW and Birdlife International, amongst others.
The scope of the adopted decision was broadened by CMS Parties to prioritize seamount protection from both destructive fishing practices and overfishing. Additional pressures, specifically climate change and pollution, were recognized by Parties as having an impact on seamount ecosystems and the migratory species that depend upon them. The adopted resolution and decision provides a crucial framework for coordinated international action to prioritize the protection of seamounts as critical habitats for migratory species across national waters and the high seas.
Bronwen Golder, Global Seamounts Campaign Director at the DSCC, said:
Seamounts are critical habitats for migratory species around the world, acting as feeding and breeding grounds, and navigational landmarks for species including whales, sharks, rays and tuna. The decision at CMS COP15 affirms the vital importance of protecting seamount ecosystems from bottom trawling which will, in turn, contribute to the success of global targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and strengthen the climate resilience of the deep sea.
The CMS COP15 decision follows the adoption of a resolution at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025, urging for a transition away from bottom trawling on high seas seamounts by the end of 2026. Together, these resolutions reinforce the importance of delivering on existing commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, amongst others. The adopted resolutions and decisions at the IUCN and CMS draw attention to the whole-ocean importance of seamount conservation ahead of the UN Bottom Fisheries Review later this year.
Golder adds:
For too long, seamount conservation has been viewed as a fisheries issue, with regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) being tasked with the management of seamounts, but these ecosystems exist far beyond fisheries. As both the IUCN and CMS resolutions and decisions highlight, seamounts are of importance to the entire ocean, and the management of these incredible ecosystems must reflect that.
The CMS COP also adopted a decision on deep-sea mining urging implementation of Resolution 14.6, originally agreed upon at CMS COP14 in 2024. The resolution calls on member countries to not engage in, or support, deep-sea mining until sufficient and robust scientific information has been obtained to ensure that deep-sea mining exploitation activities do not cause harmful effects on migratory species, their prey and ecosystems.
Sandrine Polti, Europe Lead at the DSCC, said:
Governments are right to say no to deep-sea mining and recognize that precaution must come first. Deep-sea mining risks unraveling the invisible highways that migratory species have relied upon to cross the ocean for millenia. By introducing large-scale and irreversible environmental destruction, continuous industrial noise and pollution into these fragile ecosystems, we could disrupt migration on a global scale.
With 40 States supporting a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, we need more of this kind of political leadership at the International Seabed Authority’s next meeting in July, translating statements and positions into political action.
The DSCC team and delegates from Monaco and PanamaNotes
The adopted CMS resolution and decision on conserving seamounts call for:
- Prioritization of the protection of seamounts from overfishing, destructive fishing practices and other pressures that threaten the conservation and, as necessary, identify and implement appropriate area-based protection measures, including marine protected areas;
- Collaboration of international experts to identify essential seamount ecosystems, ensuring that the ecological connections between these ecosystems and migratory species are considered
- Prioritisation of seamounts in implementing the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement)
- Members of regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements, as well as other relevant regional bodies, to prioritise the protection of seamounts from destructive fishing practices and support the effective implementation of UNGA resolutions