The field of ocean governance is rapidly evolving in response to mounting anthropogenic impacts, particularly in vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems. Coastal human interventions and expanding deep-sea mining activities are transforming both the physical environment and the way knowledge is generated and applied to these spaces. Recent scholarship has spotlighted the inadequacy of relying solely on conventional scientific frameworks when assessing and managing these impacts, highlighting ongoing tensions, epistemic exclusions, and the marginalization of indigenous and local knowledges. There is a growing call to embrace ‘epistemic hospitality’ - a deliberate openness to multiple knowledge systems - as a pathway toward more comprehensive and equitable ocean stewardship, especially as deep-sea frontiers such as the international seabed area (the AREA, in accordance with UNCLOS) attract increasing global interest and regulatory attention.

This Research Topic aims to examine how fostering epistemic hospitality can inform cooperative governance and ethical management practices in the deep sea. The central objective is to explore mechanisms for integrating scientific, indigenous, and local epistemologies in the study and regulation of anthropogenic activities, with a primary focus on deep-sea mining.

Key questions include: How can different ways of knowing be meaningfully engaged in decision-making processes? What barriers and facilitators exist in building dialogues across knowledge systems? And how might such integration shape stewardship frameworks and international policy for deep-ocean environments?

This Research Topic will address global perspectives, with an emphasis on activities occurring within international waters and the AREA as defined under UNCLOS, while not neglecting insights that relate to coastal impacts and interconnected oceanic systems.

We welcome contributions engaging, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Cross-cultural and interdisciplinary dialogue in deep-sea governance

- Case studies of epistemic hospitality in action (successes and challenges)

- Impacts of deep-sea mining on vulnerable marine ecosystems

- Integration of indigenous, local, and scientific knowledge in policy-making

- Ethical considerations in ocean resource extraction

- Governance frameworks and cooperative management in international waters

- Barriers to and opportunities for inclusive knowledge-sharing

We welcome original research, reviews, perspective pieces, policy analyses, and case studies.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Epistemic Hospitality and Anthropogenic Impacts in the Oceans: Deep-Sea Mining