The necessity of traditional knowledge for management of deep-seabed mining

Although there is no universally accepted definition of ‘traditional knowledge’ in international law and environmental governance, we refer here to TK as the knowledge, innovations and practices developed from experience gained over the centuries and adapted to the local culture and environment. It may be collectively owned and passed down through millennia in the form of stories, songs, chants, folklore, proverbs, dances, paintings, cosmologies, cultural values, beliefs, rituals, community laws, local language, and practices. TK helps transmit identity, relationships among peoples, with ancestors and with the environment. For the deep sea, TK is manifested in the preservation and perpetuation of connections between people, species, processes, ecosystems and seascapes. This includes an explicit approach for effective environmental management.