9 pp., This briefing is submitted by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), a coalition of over 70 non-governmental organizations concerned about the deep sea. The deep sea is facing large-scale industrial exploitation as mining of the deep seabed for minerals fast becomes reality. Deep seabed mining poses a major threat to the oceans, which are already suffering from a number of pressures including overfishing, pollution, and the effects of climate change.
At different times in its history, the Caribbean has been a strategic region -- initially with the arrival of the first Europeans in the late 15th century, then, among other things, by its proximity to the Panama Canal & later as a result of the Cuban revolution. But for some years now it has played a less important role internationally. However, as Viktor Sukup points out, "Russia's recent rapprochement with Cuba & Venezuela & the increasing engagement of China in the region" suggest that the Caribbean still has strategic importance.
