Mining and the African Environment

TLDR

Africa is poised for a mining boom. The study reviews environmental threats of African mining and calls for research and policy measures to understand synergies, improve impact assessments, devise mitigation, and target lobbying. The authors review environmental threats from African mining, covering habitat alteration, infrastructure expansion, human migration, bushmeat hunting, corruption, and weak governance. They show that more than a quarter of 4,151 mineral sites lie in three biologically endemic regions of Central Africa, most unprotected, while much of the Congo Basin may be spared, and that mining set‑asides and improved transport could offset some impacts, yet unchecked expansion threatens severe environmental and biodiversity damage.

Abstract

Abstract Africa is on the verge of a mining boom. We review the environmental threats from African mining development, including habitat alteration, infrastructure expansion, human migration, bushmeat hunting, corruption, and weak governance. We illustrate these threats in Central Africa, which contains the vast Congo rainforest, and show that more than a quarter of 4,151 recorded mineral occurrences are concentrated in three regions of biological endemism—the Cameroon‐Gabon Lowlands, Eastern DRC Lowlands, and Albertine Rift Mountains—and that most of these sites are currently unprotected. Threats are not uniform spatially, and much of the Congo Basin is devoid of mineral occurrences and may be spared from direct mining impacts. Some of the environmental impacts of African mining development could potentially be offset: mining set‐asides could protect some wildlife habitats, whereas improving transportation networks could increase crop yields and spare land for conservation. Research and policy measures are needed to (1) understand the synergies between mining and other development activities, (2) improve environmental impact assessments, (3) devise mitigation and offsetting mechanisms, and (4) identify market choke points where lobbying can improve environmental practice. Without careful management, rapid mining expansion and its associated secondary effects will have severe impacts on African environments and biodiversity.