Environmental impacts of mining on biodiversity and ecosystem services

Mining is an important economic sector that ensures continuous flow of income, employment, and business opportunities. Mining furthermore can promote education, improve health facilities, and improve community infrastructure. However, mining often causes undesirable impacts on biodiversity and the ecosystem services they underpin. This thesis presents results from a systematic review of the mining literature, historical analysis of satellite imagery, field-based biodiversity assessments and interviews with a wide range of stakeholders involved in mining operations and communities living within mining areas. Combined, these different approaches assess the environmental impacts of mining on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the potential for restoration of mining landscape across the globe, and land use and land cover change through time and across space in Tanzania. Results from the systematic review revealed that, out of 2,093 studies reviewed, 99.8%, reported some form of negative impact of mining on biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, while 95% reported on the direct impacts, only 5% reported on the indirect impacts. Furthermore, out of 830 reviewed restoration studies, most focused on remediation experiments (43.9%, n = 364) while 26.3%, n = 216 focused on reclamation, 14.9%, n = 124 focused on rehabilitation and 14.9%, n = 124 focused on restoration. Results also revealed that commercial gold mines have escalated the rate of land cover changes and pulled illegal mining adjacent to mine leases. This is associated with impacts that manifest largely outside operational boundaries. This was observed in two older mine sites, where aboveground carbon and tree stem density are significantly higher within lease boundaries compared to outside, while there is no such effect at the new site. I recommend on rigorous, integrated impact assessments and conservation planning in mining landscapes to mitigate social and environmental impacts and balance outcomes across the mining sector to support livelihoods, development, and conservation agendas.