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Mining's Impact on Biodiversity Explained

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all levels, from genes to ecosystems. It is complex and essential, maintaining the planet's ecological balance. However, mining can negatively impact biodiversity through habitat destruction and emissions, though it also provides economic benefits. To address this conflict, effective strategies must be implemented to mitigate mining's impacts on biodiversity. Understanding its threats is the first step, and responsible mining practices can help bring benefits to both biodiversity and human livelihoods. As citizens, we all have a role to play in protecting the planet.

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Hanika Samaniego
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6 views2 pages

Mining's Impact on Biodiversity Explained

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all levels, from genes to ecosystems. It is complex and essential, maintaining the planet's ecological balance. However, mining can negatively impact biodiversity through habitat destruction and emissions, though it also provides economic benefits. To address this conflict, effective strategies must be implemented to mitigate mining's impacts on biodiversity. Understanding its threats is the first step, and responsible mining practices can help bring benefits to both biodiversity and human livelihoods. As citizens, we all have a role to play in protecting the planet.

Uploaded by

Hanika Samaniego
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

“Without biodiversity, there is no future for humanity” – Prof David MacDonald, Oxford

University
BIODIVERSITY is the variety of life on Earth, as tiny as bacteria and as big as
elephants, and those in between such as plants and animals. Without plants, there
would be no oxygen. Without bees to pollinate, there would be no fruits or nuts. We rely
everything in the biodiversity to live. It is the most complex feature and essential as it
maintains the ecological balance of our planet. Biodiversity comprised of several levels
– starting with genes, then individual species, then communities of creatures and finally
the entire ecosystem. These myriad interactions have everything to do with
EVOLUTION, a genetic change over time and getting passed on. We may not notice
them quickly, but it gradually happens over time. There are 2 divisions of evolution.
Macroevolution is the accumulations of those something that could lead to new species,
while microevolution is the little changes in DNA overtime. Every one of the millions of
species is unique, an art that cannot be interchanged or replaced. When we deeply
explore the ecosystem, we will find countless interactions, all honed by millions of years
of evolution. Therefore, our planet is ever changing, livelihood of people is ever
improving.
As we all know, mining is important for everyone’s livelihood, not only for the raw
materials it provides, but for the positive impact it has in our society we live in. Mining
industry boosts economic boost that communities needed it most. This enhances
residents’ quality of life and contributes tax to local governments. However, not
everything is positive in Mining and as a Mining Engineering student, I am aware of that.
When I dig deeper into mining, it has the potential to affect biodiversity throughout the
life cycle of a project. Its indirect impacts can result from any activity that involves land
clearance, direct discharges to water bodies or air. Direct impacts are usually readily
identifiable. Cumulative impacts occur where mining projects are developed which are
influenced by other projects. These impacts, however, can be difficult to be assessed in
global scale. Mining directly emits carbon, as does associated mineral processing
activities, negatively affecting biodiversity. Mineral supply chains can have extensive,
yet often hidden impacts on biodiversity. There are also cases of habitat loss in other
parts of the world which was caused by mining. These are some few of what mining
does to our biodiversity, and it somehow brings threats.
To justify the conflict between mining as a prelude to progress and habitat
destruction to biodiversity is to implement effective strategies to mitigate the impacts of
mining on biodiversity. Understanding its threats is the first step. Every Mining Engineer
knows how, when and what to do to mitigate these negative impacts and threats. These
threats cannot be really avoided but it can be controlled and bettered along the way.
This is why responsible mining is extremely important because it could bring good to the
biodiversity. This is why biodiversity must consider mining engineering. It’s not just
about the environment that are both related into, it’s the benefits it brings to the
livelihood of people. Going back to the Prof David MacDonald’s saying, biodiversity is
part of the planet’s future. Mining is part of biodiversity so it is important for the future
generation to come. Furthermore, there are other human made activities that can also
bring threats to our biodiversity. As a citizen of this planet, we have a vital role to protect
our home. We can do it by gradually planting trees, protecting animals and many more.

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