The world needs more minerals to build electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries. But a new study warns that the rush to dig them up could push thousands of already vulnerable animals and plants even closer to extinction.
Researchers behind a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution compared global maps of existing and planned mining sites with the habitats of thousands of species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Their conclusion was unsettling. Mining’s impact on wildlife is much bigger than official records suggest.
Mining is already listed as a threat to more than 12,000 species worldwide, including nearly 6,000 that are threatened with extinction. But the researchers found those figures barely scratch the surface.
More than one in four threatened species already live in areas that overlap with active mines.
The proposed mines for critical minerals needed for the clean-energy transition could affect more than 3,000 additional threatened species.
Surprisingly, more than 80 percent of those species are not officially recognized as being threatened by mining.
The problem, researchers say, is that conservation assessments often can’t keep up with how quickly new mines are developed.
Many mines are also located in biodiversity hotspots, where rare wildlife is packed into relatively small areas. That means a single mining project can disturb habitats that took thousands of years to develop.
Among the species highlighted was the critically endangered Hainan gibbon, one of the world’s rarest primates. More than 90 percent of its remaining habitat overlaps with mining areas, yet mining is not officially listed as one of the threats to its survival.
Several reptiles, amphibians and plant species were found to have their entire known habitats overlapping mining sites.
The researchers are not arguing against mining. Instead, they say governments, mining firms and conservation groups need better maps, faster wildlife assessments and smarter planning before new projects are approved.
Their message is simple. The minerals powering tomorrow’s cleaner economy should not come at the cost of the very ecosystems that keep the planet alive.
