Demand for mined resources in Europe drives deforestation elsewhere

Mined minerals are a cornerstone of the global economy, and extraction levels have risen to unprecedented highs. To meet growing demand, forests are cleared around the world to make way for mines.

In a new study, Centre researcher Sebastian Luckeneder and colleagues combined satellite data with supply chain models to trace mining-related tree cover loss and link it to consumption.

The study shows:

• Approximately 1.5 million hectares of global tree cover loss were directly associated with mining expansion between 2001 and 2019.
• Of this global footprint, 1.2 million hectares could be traced through global mineral supply chains, from the regions where mining occurred to the countries and sectors that ultimately consumed those mined materials.
• A large proportion of the traceable footprint originated far from where it was consumed. For example, 148,000 hectares (12%) of the global footprint was linked to EU demand for minerals, but 85% of that impact occurred outside the EU.

“Our findings show that significant environmental pressures remain embedded in global supply chains despite existing governance efforts,” says Sebastian Luckeneder.

The study also identified global hotspots of mining-related deforestation, including South America, Russia, Ghana, Indonesia, as well as Canada, the United States and Australia.

“Our results highlight a big challenge facing companies today: there's a growing expectation to understand, manage and disclose nature-related impacts across corporate value chains, but many of those impacts occur in places where they have little direct visibility or influence,” says Laura Sonter from The Biodiversity Consultancy, United Kingdom, one of the co-authors.

According to Sebastian Luckeneder, variations across commodities, producer countries and consuming sectors highlight opportunities for intervention. For example, one quarter of the EU's footprint was attributed to civil engineering construction, automotive manufacturing, and machinery and equipment production.

“Despite many challenges, we suggest integrating mining into binding supply chain regulations to strengthen the accountability of EU companies.”

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