Environmental Impact of Mining on Species Habitat

Habitat Loss

• Habitat loss refers to the reduction in the amount of space where a particular species or group of species can survive and reproduce
• Categories of habitat loss: • Destruction (e.g., cutting forests, degrading agricultural lands, harvesting fossil fuels) • Degradation (e.g., agricultural practices, reduced resources, pollution, logging, catastrophic fishing activities, urbanization) • Fragmentation (split-up areas breaking down habitats, isolating animal communities, compressing genetic diversity)

Hunting

• Hunting is a root cause of extinction of large numbers of animals
• Hunting activities exert a considerable burden on wildlife, provoking an immense downturn in wildlife and leading to disturbed and inefficient ecosystems

Overexploitation of Preferred Species

• Overexploitation is the collection of species from their natural habitat at higher estimates than the native communities can retrieve
• Examples of overexploitation include extreme fishing and hunting
• One-third of the earth’s vertebrates facing extinction are vulnerable due to overexploitation

Climate Change

• Biodiversity and climate change are strongly associated
• Accelerated climate change disturbs ecological systems and species’ capability to acclimate, hence the loss in biodiversity
• Climate change jeopardizes human interests and security for clean water, air, medicines, and additional natural resources

Invasive Species

• An invasive species is an introduced species to an environment that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment
• Invasive species wrack up the native ecosystem in many ways, including: • Modifying the habitat • Importing pathogens • Leading to the decline of genetic diversity by hybridizing with natives • Directly competing with and preying on native species

Natural Disasters

• Natural catastrophes (e.g., volcanos, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, droughts, epidemics, tsunamis) cause a heavy loss of biodiversity
• Examples of natural disaster effects include: • Floods washing away soil nutrients • Drought leading to dry soil and a decline in the water table • Wildfires disrupting the life of organisms • Volcanoes severely damaging animals and plants

Biodiversity

• Biodiversity refers to the enormous variety of life on Earth
• It includes diversity within species and between species of the ecosystem
• Biodiversity is essential for human survival, providing: • Uncontaminated water, air, and food • Traditional and modern medicines • A healthy environment