Mining & Biodiversity

Biodiversity

• degree of variation of life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet.
• it is the variety of a species or life forms within an area.

There are different ways of decreasing the biodiversity within an area. One threat is over exploitation. Exploitation occurs when a resource is consumed at an unsustainable rate. Forms like overhunting, excessive logging, poor soil conservation and illegal wildlife trade.  I believe that Mining is another form of decreasing the biodiversity. 

Lutopan use to be filled with a variety of forests. But mining destroyed all of this. The forests that are cleared for mining purposes are home to a large number of organisms. Indiscriminate clearing of the forests leads to loss of habitat of a large number of animals. This puts the survival of a large number of animal species at stake. The cutting down of trees in itself is a big threat to a number of plants, trees, birds and animals growing in the forests.he forests that are cleared for mining purposes are home to a large number of organisms. Indiscriminate clearing of the forests leads to loss of habitat of a large number of animals. This puts the survival of a large number of animal species at stake. The cutting down of trees in itself is a big threat to a number of plants, trees, birds and animals growing in the forests.

Other known impacts of mining on biodiversity:

• Water quality can be negatively impacted by heavy metals and acid minedrainage, causing significant damage to ecosystems; poisoning fish and mammals through bio-accumulation.
• Water quantity can be reduced caused by draw-down of groundwater orstreamflow reduction for operational mining and use in processing facilities.
• Land change from mining activities causes profound disturbance to the landscape. Excavations for extraction, waste rock and tailings ponds all modify the shape and hydrology of the landscape.

If mining was stopped, or done through a better way, biodiverstiy may be restored to localities like Lutopan.


Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity#Overexploitation
http://www.limpoporak.com/en/river/ecology+and+biodiversity/biodiversity/human+impacts+to+biodiversity.aspx