Sensitive ecosystems at risk from mine waste

28 Nov 2023
Mine waste
Spilled waste from the Brumadinho tailings dam in Brazil destroyed 133ha of Atlantic Forest and 70ha of protected areas downstream. Image, Diego Baravelli.

Nearly a third of the world’s mine tailings are stored within or near protected conservation areas, University of Queensland research has found.

A study led by UQ’s Bora Aska, from the Sustainable Minerals Institute and School of the Environment, said these waste facilities pose an enormous risk to some of earth’s most precious species and landscapes.

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