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A recent study has revealed that the rising demand for metals and minerals is endangering thousands of vertebrate species. Around 8 per cent (4,642) of vertebrates are considered threatened by mineral extraction activities, particularly mining and quarrying, with fish being especially vulnerable, it noted.
The tropics have emerged as global hotspots for mineral extraction threats (MET) to vertebrates, according to the report published in Current Biology, July 26, 2024. Additionally, significant regional diversity is at risk in northern South America, West Africa and the Arctic.
The authors of the report noted that species inhabiting freshwater environments are especially threatened, while the impact of other ecological traits varies among different groups.
Worldwide, mining plays a major role in altering land use and causing environmental harm, with various mineral extraction techniques impacting biodiversity to different extents.
The researchers explored the connections between species' habitat usage, life-history traits and the risks posed by mineral extraction.
The research represents one of the most comprehensive global evaluations of the risks to biodiversity posed by the extraction of metal minerals, fossil fuels and construction materials. The study concentrated on terrestrial, freshwater and marine vertebrates, including amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles, as mentioned in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species assessments and range maps.
The researchers discovered that mineral extraction poses a significant threat to global biodiversity due to the extent of land affected, the diversity and severity of both direct and indirect impacts and the vulnerability tied to the ecological traits of species.
Mineral extraction has been recorded as a threat for 4,642 (7.8 per cent) of the 59,803 extant vertebrate species assessed by the IUCN.
Out of the 4,642 species threatened by mineral extraction, 3,775 (81 per cent) are threatened by mining and quarrying. Additionally, 1,000 species (22 per cent) are at risk due to mining seepage, and 584 species (12 per cent) are endangered by oil spills. Furthermore, 431 vertebrate species (9 per cent) face survival threats from oil and gas drilling.
Mining and quarrying emerged as major threats across all taxa, while pollution is frequently a threat to fish. Fish had the most species with METs, totaling 2,053 (8.1 per cent of 25,247), followed by reptiles with 764 (7.6 per cent of 10,164), amphibians with 747 (10 per cent of 7,448), birds with 558 (5.1 per cent of 11,024) and mammals with 520 (8.8 per cent of 5,886).
Mineral extraction is a driver of extinction risk across IUCN Red List categories in a broadly consistent pattern between taxa, noted the researchers.
Species in the Red List's threatened categories (vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered) have higher percentages of METs compared to those listed as least concern or data deficient. This is particularly evident in birds, where only 1.4 per cent of least-concern species but 18.4 per cent of critically endangered species have METs. High extinction risk species also possess METs, highlighting its potential significance as a global threat to biodiversity.
The impact of mining on biodiversity varies based on factors like waste management, recovery and reclamation efforts (such as tree planting and pond creation), infrastructure and the specific materials being mined.
The scale of the operation in relation to the available habitat also influences the effects. In Brazil's iron quadrangle region, for instance, mining poses significant risks to birds, with endemic mountain species having an average of 27 per cent of their range within 5 kilometres of mining areas.