POLLING and counting in the Bougainville’ election have been calm.
The territory’s Electoral Commissioner, Desmond Tsuianai, said operations had been smooth and results had started to flow in after some initial delays.
It’s a move that aligns with a number of states’ growing concerns.
France now believes a more scientific investigation factoring in traditional knowledge needs to happen before diving head-long into the exploitation of ocean floor resources.
A regional research initiative backed by the French government has lent its weight to this stance.
The research suggested a more conservative approach, as opposed to purely profit-driven short-term gains, that may do more harm than good.
The French Institution for Research and Development (IRD), conducted the study.
Researchers incorporated traditional ancestral knowledge with the scientific approach in the formulation of their findings.
Views of local customary councils across the Pacific were also sought. The results could not have been clearer: “The conclusions of this big study was that let’s know what we have in the ocean before starting to dig into it and spoiling the ocean,” said Véronique Roger-Lacan, France’s Permanent Representative to the Pacific Community.
“The very important part was the ancestral, traditional. So, we had lots of contacts with the customary councils … in every country.”
Although a comprehensive study with very clear outcomes and recommendations on the way forward has eventuated, consensus has not been universal.
Lacan noted that Pacific Islands Forum members have a variety of opinions on the matter – with a number of states having already issued exploratory mining licences.
New Caledonia and Tahiti have expressed strong misgivings – Noumea pushing for a complete ban on deep sea mining in line with “the Kanak Vision of the Ocean”. Tahiti has adopted a similar stance, and Fiji has had a moratorium on deep-sea mining since 2019.
France’s efforts on this issue highlight not only Paris’s ongoing strong ties and commitment to the region, but also advocacy for environmental preservation over short-term financial gains.