Marine ecological monitoring programmes have become an important tool for environmental management worldwide. The programmes provide managers and decision-makers with an essential source of relevant, reliable, and timely science-based information that can be used to support decision-making processes.
Acquisition of data on the distribution and behaviour of highly migratory animals, such as marine mammals, over a wide geographic area, is challenging logistically and economically and often it requires large collaborative efforts.
Properly recorded incidental sightings from the Debmarine Namibia fleet situated in Atlantic 1 MLA offer an alternative, more cost-effective way to provide valuable information. Our vessels cover a vast area and have the unique opportunity to record marine life migrating along the southern African coastline and to offer valuable insights to the impact of mining on these movements.
The key objectives of the programme are to:
- Fulfil environmental compliance obligations as set out in the Environmental Management Plan to monitor the impact of mining and sampling activities on marine life.
- Use the sightings data to improve understanding of the movement, abundance, pattern distribution and seasonality of key marine species.
- Monitor marine mammal behaviour during operations to identify potential negative impacts of our operations allowing us to implement timely and appropriate mitigation measures.
- Share data of sightings with the external scientific community for research purposes.
A user-friendly database is available on the intranet for all employees on our vessels to capture details of marine life sightings, also allowing for pictures and videos to be uploaded. Commonly sighted species include various bird species such as kelp gulls and petrels, the Heaviside dolphins, Cape-Fur seals, and whales.
