Pengaruh Pengaturan Environmental Impact Assessment dalam High Seas Treaty terhadap Aktivitas Eksplorasi Pertambangan Dasar Laut

Jennifer Mega Putri, Prof. Dr. Marsudi Triatmodjo, S.H. LL.M

2025 | Tesis | S2 Ilmu Hukum

INTISARI

Perkembangan teknologi dan kebutuhan ekonomi global telah mendorong meningkatnya minat terhadap aktivitas pertambangan di dasar laut, khususnya di wilayah The Area. Dalam tahapan awal pertambangan yaitu eksplorasi, diperlukan pelaksanaan Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) guna memastikan bahwa kegiatan tidak menimbulkan kerusakan terhadap lingkungan laut. International Seabed Authority (ISA) melalui The Exploration Mining Code telah mengatur pelaksanaan EIA sebagai persyaratan persetujuan kontrak eksplorasi, namun pendekatan yang digunakan berorientasi pada pengelolaan sumber daya mineral. Sementara itu, BBNJ Agreement hadir sebagai instrumen hukum baru yang secara eksplisit memprioritaskan konservasi dan pemanfaatan berkelanjutan biodiversitas laut, termasuk pengaturan EIA di wilayah high seas dan The Area. Kemiripan ruang lingkup dan substansi pengaturan ini menimbulkan potensi tumpang tindih dan menimbulkan kebutuhan akan analisis hubungan antar rezim. 

Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian hukum normatif yang bertujuan untuk menjawab dua permasalahan utama, yaitu 1) bagaimana perbandingan pengaturan EIA dalam The Exploration Mining Code ISA dan BBNJ Agreement; serta 2) bagaimana pengaruh keberadaan BBNJ Agreement terhadap pengaturan EIA pada aktivitas eksplorasi. Analisis dilakukan dengan pendekatan perbandingan norma serta teori regime complex untuk memahami interaksi antara dua rezim yang otonom namun saling berkaitan. 

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa meskipun ISA memiliki struktur pelaksanaan yang lebih stabil secara kelembagaan dan prosedural, pendekatan BBNJ dalam EIA menawarkan standar EIA yang lebih progresif, berbasis prinsip kehati-hatian, evaluasi kumulatif, serta transparansi. Perbedaan ini membuka peluang bagi integrasi yang bersifat sinergis. Prinsip does not undermine dalam BBNJ Agreement memberikan dasar hukum untuk menghindari subordinasi antar rezim, dan sebaliknya mendorong koordinasi institusional yang saling melengkapi. Sebagai bentuk integrasi yang paling potensial, Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) dalam BBNJ dapat berfungsi sebagai simpul pertukaran informasi, transparansi data, dan koordinasi antar rezim, khususnya dalam pengelolaan EIA di wilayah The Area. Dengan demikian, keberadaan dua rezim ini tidak perlu dipertentangkan, melainkan dapat dikembangkan sebagai bagian dari rezim kompleks yang berfungsi secara komplementer dalam upaya perlindungan lingkungan laut lepas yang berkelanjutan.

ABSTRACT

Technological developments and growing global economic demands have led to increased interest in deep-sea mining activities, particularly in areas beyond national jurisdiction known as The Area. At the exploration stage of such activities, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is essential to ensure that potential harm to the marine environment is managed for sustainable use. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), through its The Exploration Mining Code, has regulated the implementation of EIA as the requirement of exploration contracts, although its main emphasis lies in managing mineral resources. Meanwhile, the recently adopted BBNJ Agreement presents a new legal framework that focuses more directly on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, includes EIA provisions applicable to both the high seas and The Area. This overlap in regulatory scope raises questions about potential interactions or conflicts between the two regimes. 

This study adopts a normative legal research method to address two central questions: 1) how does the EIA framework in the ISA's The Exploration Mining Code compare with that of the BBNJ Agreement; and 2), how the existence of the BBNJ Agreement might influence the regulation of EIA for exploration activities carried out under the ISA. The analysis draws on a comparative legal approach and applies the theory of regime complex to assess how these two autonomous regimes relate and potentially complement one another. 

The findings show that while the ISA regime benefits from an established institutional structure and clearer procedures, the BBNJ Agreement introduces a more forward-looking approach, grounded in the precautionary principle, cumulative impact considerations, and greater public transparency. These differing orientations, offer the possibility of mutual reinforcement. The “not to undermine” clause in the BBNJ Agreement also provides a normative foundation to avoid conflict between regimes and encourages constructive coordination. One of the most practical points of convergence lies in the BBNJ’s Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM), which has the potential to serve as a platform for sharing information, improving transparency, and supporting cooperation across institutional boundaries, particularly in the implementation of EIA in The Area. In this light, the two regimes need not be seen as incompatible, but instead as capable of forming a more integrated and effective framework for protecting the marine environment beyond national jurisdiction.

Keywords: Environmental Impact Assessment, International Seabed Authority, BBNJ Agreement, Regime Complex, The Area

Kata Kunci : Environmental Impact Assessment, International Seabed Authority, BBNJ Agreement, Regime Complex.