Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) conducted the Environmental Impact Study research from 2008 fiscal year under contract to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for the commercialization of Seafloor Massive Sulphide (SMS). It is necessary to consider the potential impacts of mining on the surrounding environment and to promote the project for long-term perspective. Particularly, because the specific chemosynthetic ecosystem and the unique biological communities exist around the hydrothermal area, the quantitatively evaluations of the environmental impacts and the conservation measures of biodiversity to avoid or reduce the effects on them as much as possible is required. The environmental assessment programs consist of baseline survey, environmental impact modeling, and the methodological concepts that will be applied to conserve biodiversity. In this paper, we will introduce the review of the project during 2008-2012 and the future prospects of EIA project for SMS mining.
