EDITOR - Environmental hazards associated with mining activities in the tropics

Context and objectives

The targeted area is eastern DRC, rich in critical minerals like cobalt, copper, tin, coltan, and gold. This region hosts numerous mining sites, impacting many people who rely on mining for income or are affected by its environmental and social consequences.

In the Kivu region, artisanal and semi-industrial mining of coltan, gold, and tin often involves open-pit excavation of soft surface deposits. Mineral recovery mainly requires water, increasing river sediment and potentially contaminating local water supplies (e.g. artisanal gold mining releases mercury). In Katanga, industrial mining extracts copper and cobalt from hard rock using advanced techniques. Large open-pit mines like Komoto are found near populated cities such as Kolwezi.

Moreover, particularly in the Kivu region, geo-hydrological hazards such as landslides and flash floods frequently occur, especially during rainy seasons, affecting households and infrastructure. These factors contribute to environmental changes at mining sites and beyond, influencing natural resource availability.

EDITOR aims to answer:

  • What is the spatial distribution of Mining induced environmental change (MIEC), and how has it evolved over time?
  • How can MIEC be characterized?
  • How can MIEC be detected regionally?
  • How does population vulnerability to MIEC vary over time and space?

Project outcome

Expected scientific results

From the remote sensing analysis combined with external data, EDITOR will first create a spatio-temporal inventory of mining-induced environmental changes (MIEC), which will be compared with field data. It will then reconstruct the mine history and associated landscape changes using historical aerial and satellite imagery, assessing the cascading impacts on vegetation, slopes, and soil contamination by toxic substances. Machine Learning will help detect regional trends and differentiate environmental impacts across mining site types.

To assess population vulnerability, quantitative surveys will be conducted at representative sites, creating socio-economic and geographic indicators. These will be paired with qualitative data from interviews and focus groups, associated with participatory methods.

Expected products and services

Global commitments on climate change and the rapid implementation of the transition to ‘green’ technologies are leading to a significant increase in demand for raw materials, of which the AOI is a key supplier. New information on mining activity in the DRC and its environmental and societal impacts should therefore be of great interest to civil society.

It is also expected that the results of the project will provide the main stakeholders - the DRC Ministry of Mines, mining companies, civil society, etc. - with relevant tools for assessing and monitoring the environmental impacts of mining on a regional scale, which will help them to take appropriate action.