RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT - Mining for ‘clean energy’ metals driving widespread forest loss in Africa

A study involving the University of Cambridge has found that 187,000 hectares of forest were lost to mining activity in Africa between 2001 and 2020 - an area roughly equivalent to the country of Mauritius.

Using satellite imagery and statistical modelling, researchers found that for every hectare (10,000 square metres) of active mine site in Africa, an additional 34 hectares of forest are lost to supporting infrastructure such as roads, housing settlements and agricultural land.

Demand for green energy transition minerals like copper and cobalt - essential for electric vehicles and renewables - is a primary driver of this deforestation, with demand expected to grow 40-fold by 2040.

The researchers warn that current environmental assessments drastically underestimate mining's true footprint, calling for ‘zero-deforestation’ supply chains to protect vital forests from being sacrificed.

This is the first large-scale study of mining-triggered deforestation across Africa, and compared deforestation rates in mined areas to geographically similar non-mined areas.

Mining for cobalt and copper was found to cause the highest rate of overall deforestation. These metals are critical components in renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles and household electronics. Mining for high value minerals such as gold and silver, and critical manufacturing minerals such as iron, also drives high rates of deforestation.

Professor David Edwards in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, senior author of the study, said: "Metals including cobalt and copper are critical components of technology from electric vehicles to smart phones and computers. But our study shows there are unintended consequences of the appetite for technology. We find that cobalt and copper mining drives particularly high levels of offsite deforestation, particularly in the hyper-biodiverse rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

Co-lead author Dr Oscar Morton, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, said: “The actual mines themselves are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s the extent of additional deforestation triggered by mining that is far greater, with new settlements, agriculture and transport routes posing a serious threat to vital forests across Africa.

Researchers studied over 16,000 mines, from large-scale mines operated by multinational corporations to ‘artisanal’ mines, often operated by individuals, families or local cooperatives.

The scale of mining operations across Africa is a direct result of increased global demand, with the extraction of metal ores quadrupling on the continent since 1970. As the global appetite for key minerals underpinning the transition to green energy technologies continues to grow, demand is expected to increase 40-fold by 2040.

Reference: Morton, O. et al: ‘Mining triggers extensive additional deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa.’ Nature, June 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10551-2.

Full University of Cambridge article