Exploitation of Natural Resources of the Seabed as the Common Heritage of Mankind

The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the current and possible future developments in the exploitation of natural resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction. In the first chapter the term of international space is defined, while the second part approaches the historical development of international law in relation to the seabed. The second chapter deals with the concept of the common heritage of mankind, at first it shows its historical evolution, then this term is explained and the last part of the chapter is devoted to the common heritage of mankind as a principle of international law. The last chapter focuses on the use of resources of the seabed. In the first part seabed legislation is discussed. The second part explains the concepts of prospecting, exploration and mining. The third part deals with the International Seabed Authority and the last part deals with mining and its impacts