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Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
Mining triggers extensive additional deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa
Oscar Morton1, Christopher G Bousfield2, Prince Dégny Valé3,4
1Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. o.morton@sheffield.ac.uk.
Nature
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Mining in sub-Saharan Africa drives significant deforestation. For every hectare of direct mine impact, an additional 34 hectares are lost to related activities, particularly for cobalt and copper extraction.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Forest Ecology
- Resource Management
Background:
- Sub-Saharan Africa faces expanding mineral demand, posing a threat to tropical forests.
- Poorly managed mining expansion is a significant driver of deforestation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a spatiotemporal assessment of mining-driven deforestation in African dense forests.
- To quantify direct and indirect deforestation impacts from mining operations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized continent-wide post-deforestation land use data (2001-2020).
- Employed a difference-in-differences framework analyzing 16,627 mines.
- Assessed deforestation extent and proximity effects.
Main Results:
- Identified 187,000 hectares of direct mining-driven deforestation.
- Estimated an 8.0 pp increase in deforestation within 1 km of mines.
- Found that 1 hectare of direct deforestation triggers 34 hectares of offsite loss within five years, especially for cobalt and copper mines.
Conclusions:
- Mining significantly exacerbates deforestation beyond the direct mine footprint.
- Environmental impact assessments must include offsite deforestation for critical mineral supply chains.
- Integrating these findings is crucial for achieving zero-deforestation and reducing future forest loss in sub-Saharan Africa.
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