Advertisement
Science

Tropical forests: devastated by mines

Advertisement

The deforestation of rainforests represents a significant problem for the balance of ecosystems . Among the main reasons for this phenomenon we also find the mining industry whose environmental impact has been estimated thanks to a recent study.

An ever increasing demand for minerals (such as nickel, tin, gold and iron) is causing ever greater devastation to rainforests such as the Amazon . According to a study published in the journal Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences  ( PNAS ) between 2000 and 2019, the mining industry cleared at least 3,264 km2 of forest area .

This study considered all industrial mines spread across 26 countries, calculating that 80% of the deforestation caused by mines is concentrated in Indonesia, Brazil, Ghana and Suriname.

Among the impacts that this phenomenon has, we also find that which involves the balance of ecosystems and biodiversity. According to a research conducted by the Amazonian Network of Georeferenced Socio-environmental Information together with the indigenous peoples of the Coica part of the Amazon could now be irrecoverable. But the fact remains that agriculture remains the most damaging sector for rainforests, followed by mining.

Our findings illustrate significant, but unevenly distributed and often unmanaged impacts on these biodiverse ecosystems. Impact assessments and mitigation plans for industrial mining activities must consider direct and indirect impacts to support the conservation of the world’s tropical forests.

Advertisement

What the authors of the study write

  • Mines devastate tropical forests: cleared an area of ​​over 3000 km2 in 20 years (ohga.it)

Advertisement

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button