Biology subjects

Wittkopp, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Wittkopp, C..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Mining threats in high-level biodiversity conservation policies

Amid a global infrastructure boom, there is increasing recognition of the ecological impacts of the extraction and consumption of construction minerals, mainly as concrete. Recent research highlights the significant and expanding threat these minerals pose to global biodiversity. To what extent is this pressure acknowledged in biodiversity conservation policy? We investigate how high-level national and international biodiversity conservation policies, including the 2011-2020 and post-2020 biodiversity strategies, the national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and the assessments of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, address mining threats with a special focus on construction minerals. We find that mining appears rarely in national targets, but more frequently in national strategies with greater coverage of aggregates mining than limestone mining, yet it is dealt with superficially in most countries. We then outline an 8-point strategy to reduce the biodiversity impacts of construction minerals, which comprises actions such as targeting, reporting, and monitoring systems, the evidence-base around mining impacts on biodiversity, and the behavior of financial agents and businesses. Implementing these measures can pave the way for a more sustainable approach to construction mineral use and safeguard biodiversity.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Unearthing the global impact of mining construction minerals on biodiversity

Construction minerals - sand, gravel, limestone - are the most extracted solid raw materials1 and account for most of the worlds anthropogenic mass, which as of 2020 outweighed all of Earths living biomass2. However, knowledge about the magnitude, geography, and profile of this widespread threat to biodiversity remains scarce and scattered3-6. Combining long-term data from the IUCN Red List and new species descriptions we provide the first systematic evaluation of species threatened by mining of construction minerals globally. We found 1,047 species in the Red List impacted by this type of mining, of which 58.5% are threatened with extinction and four species already went extinct. We also identified 234 new species descriptions in 20 biodiversity hotspots reporting impacts from mining. Temporal trends in the assessments highlight the increased saliency of this threat to biodiversity, whose full extent may well reach over 24,000 animal and plant species. While rock quarrying mostly threatens karst biodiversity and narrow-ranged species, sand and gravel extraction is a more prominent threat to freshwater and coastal systems. This study provides the first evidence base to support a global strategy to limit the biodiversity impacts of construction mineral extraction.

ecology↗