Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Deep-sea mineral extraction presents unprecedented management challenges, yet global assessments of ecological vulnerability remain geographically fragmented. Here, we develop the Ecological Vulnerability Index (EVI), a spatially explicit framework that integrates biological sensitivity, habitat structural complexity, and energetic baseline conditions across eight components, to test whether current seabed governance is aligned with underlying ecological vulnerability. We find that vulnerability is highly spatially concentrated: the most vulnerable 20% of the seafloor contains 64% of total global vulnerability, peaking along mid-ocean ridges. Overlaying this index with current governance reveals a structural mismatch: while 19.6% of allocated exploration contracts intersect this high-vulnerability space, only 3.6% of designated preservation areas do. Consequently, the conservation estate is five times less likely to be sited in high-vulnerability space than the extraction estate. This framework provides an empirical baseline that can inform international conservation targets and help clarify spatial planning conflicts.</p>