Maitner, B. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2025

Amazon biodiversity is at risk from metal contamination due to mining activity

The Amazon basin hosts the most biodiverse and intact ecosystems on Earth, yet human activities are an increasing threat. Metal contamination due to mining constitutes one of these major threats, but its impacts remain poorly quantified. We provide the first quantitative assessment of biodiversity exposure to mining-associated metals--mercury [Hg], arsenic [As], copper [Cu], Zinc [Zn], and lead [Pb]--across the Amazon. Around 66% of the Amazons 38,890 species of birds, plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes are exposed to metal contamination, including biodiversity hotspots and Indigenous territories. Safeguarding the Amazons role as a global reservoir of biodiversity, ecosystem function, and cultural heritage requires addressing metal contamination not only as a localized issue, but as a pervasive threat to global biodiversity.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Areas of global importance for terrestrial biodiversity, carbon, and water

Summary paragraphTo meet the ambitious objectives of biodiversity and climate conventions, countries and the international community require clarity on how these objectives can be operationalized spatially, and multiple targets be pursued concurrently1. To support governments and political conventions, spatial guidance is needed to identify which areas should be managed for conservation to generate the greatest synergies between biodiversity and natures contribution to people (NCP). Here we present results from a joint optimization that maximizes improvements in species conservation status, carbon retention and water provisioning and rank terrestrial conservation priorities globally. We found that, selecting the top-ranked 30% (respectively 50%) of areas would conserve 62.4% (86.8%) of the estimated total carbon stock and 67.8% (90.7%) of all clean water provisioning, in addition to improving the conservation status for 69.7% (83.8%) of all species considered. If priority was given to biodiversity only, managing 30% of optimally located land area for conservation may be sufficient to improve the conservation status of 86.3% of plant and vertebrate species on Earth. Our results provide a global baseline on where land could be managed for conservation. We discuss how such a spatial prioritisation framework can support the implementation of the biodiversity and climate conventions.

ecology↗