The underestimated global impact of mining on threatened species

Dale G. Nimmo; William L. Geary; Harry A. Moore; Eamonn I. F. Wooster; Chris J. Jolly; Grant D. Linley; Chloe L. McAuley; Hannah Nichols; Amy Simpson; Laura J. Sonter; Dylan M. Westaway; Thiaggo C. Tayer; Ben C. W. Wilson; Mitchell A. Cowan

doi:10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100792

The underestimated global impact of mining on threatened species

Dale G. Nimmo^*, William L. Geary, Harry A. Moore, Eamonn I. F. Wooster, Chris J. Jolly, Grant D. Linley, Chloe L. McAuley, Hannah Nichols, Amy Simpson, Laura J. Sonter, Dylan M. Westaway, Thiaggo C. Tayer, Ben C. W. Wilson, Mitchell A. Cowan

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Natural Sciences

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Abstract

Mining reshapes vast areas of Earth’s surface, yet its impact on biodiversity remains poorly understood. Here, we show that mining is listed as a threat to over 12,000 species globally, including nearly 6,000 threatened species. Spatial analyses indicate that 28% of threatened species’ ranges overlap mining areas. More than 100 species have at least 75% of their range overlapping these areas, yet mining is not recognized as a threat in their IUCN assessments. Mining also occurs in areas of unusually high biodiversity, including areas with higher richness of threatened species. This pressure is poised to intensify as new projects targeting critical minerals could expose over 3,000 threatened species to potential future mining, 83% of which lack a mining-threat designation by the IUCN. These findings underscore the urgent need for more comprehensive accounting of mining impacts in conservation planning worldwide.

Original language	English
Article number	100792
Pages (from-to)	1-11
Number of pages	11
Journal	Cell Reports Sustainability
Volume	3
Issue number	8
Early online date	30 Jul 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100792
Publication status	Published - 28 Aug 2026

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2026. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

anthropocene
anthropogenic threats
biodiversity crisis
biodiversity loss
critical minerals
IUCN Red List
landscape modification
mining and biodiversity
species extinction risk
threatened species

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10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100792

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 7.96 MBLicence: CC BY

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Nimmo, D. G., Geary, W. L., Moore, H. A., Wooster, E. I. F., Jolly, C. J., Linley, G. D., McAuley, C. L., Nichols, H., Simpson, A., Sonter, L. J., Westaway, D. M., Tayer, T. C., Wilson, B. C. W., & Cowan, M. A. (2026). The underestimated global impact of mining on threatened species. Cell Reports Sustainability, 3(8), 1-11. Article 100792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100792

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abstract = "Mining reshapes vast areas of Earth{\textquoteright}s surface, yet its impact on biodiversity remains poorly understood. Here, we show that mining is listed as a threat to over 12,000 species globally, including nearly 6,000 threatened species. Spatial analyses indicate that 28\% of threatened species{\textquoteright} ranges overlap mining areas. More than 100 species have at least 75\% of their range overlapping these areas, yet mining is not recognized as a threat in their IUCN assessments. Mining also occurs in areas of unusually high biodiversity, including areas with higher richness of threatened species. This pressure is poised to intensify as new projects targeting critical minerals could expose over 3,000 threatened species to potential future mining, 83\% of which lack a mining-threat designation by the IUCN. These findings underscore the urgent need for more comprehensive accounting of mining impacts in conservation planning worldwide.",

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AU - Tayer, Thiaggo C.

AU - Wilson, Ben C. W.

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The underestimated global impact of mining on threatened species

Abstract

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Keywords

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