Over 4,600 animal species are threatened by mineral extraction worldwide, with increasing demand for raw materials needed for clean energy technologies among the drivers of biodiversity loss, according to a new scientific paper released on Monday.

Biodiversity hotspots are often rich in lithium and cobalt, key components of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles, according to the study led by researchers at the University of Sheffield and University of Cambridge and published in the journal Current Biology.

Fish are the most vulnerable out of the 4,642 vertebrate species at risk due to mining, with 2,053 threatened species, followed by reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals.

Nearly 8% of all vertebrates are threatened by mineral extraction across the globe, the study found, pointing to tropical regions as the main global hotspot followed by northern South America, West Africa, and the Arctic.

“We simply won’t be able to deliver the clean energy we need to reduce our climate impact without mining for the materials we need, and that creates a problem because we’re mining in locations that often have very high levels of biodiversity,” said David Edwards, professor at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute and co-author of the study.

The extraction of limestone, a core component of construction activity, also poses a significant risk to wildlife, researchers said.

“Lots of species are very restricted in where they live because they’re specialised to live on limestone,” said Ieuan Lamb of the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, first author of the report.

“A cement mine can literally take out an entire hillside – and with it these species’ homes.”

IMPACTS

The impacts are not limited to the physical locations of the mines, as species can also be affected by polluted watercourses or deforestation for new infrastructure and access roads, said the study.

The extraction industry has seen a dramatic expansion in recent years, fuelled by growing demand for metal minerals, fossil fuels, and construction materials.

The total revenue generated by the top 40 global mining companies reached a record $943 billion in 2022.

“As the industry expands, it is vital that mineral resources in vulnerable biodiversity regions are managed in accordance with sustainable development goals,” said the study.

Mining companies have come under increasing pressure for their impacts on nature, with some firms mulling engaging in the emerging biodiversity credit market to make nature positive claims.

In April, a study led by researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, and the US-based non-profit conservation organisation Rewild, found that mining companies’ impacts on ecosystems and wildlife at a global level could be much higher than previously estimated.

By Sergio Colombo – sergio@carbon-pulse.com

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