Study maps mining threats to forests and biodiversity

4 min read

Japanese researchers at Tohoku University and NIES combined high-resolution satellite imagery and machine learning to create a global map of roughly 70,000 mining sites across 20 commodities and then overlaid deforestation and extinction data. They attribute 16,268 sq km of forest loss to mining between 2001 and 2022, concentrated in the Amazon, southeast Asia and the Congo Basin. Gold and coal remain large drivers of tree loss, while lithium, cobalt and nickel pose outsized biodiversity risks in fragile habitats like high-altitude wetlands and salt plains. The study flags social conflicts and urges smarter regulation, supply-chain risk mapping and more recycling.

Mining caused 16,268 sq km of forest loss between 2001 and 2022