Mining in focus
Dawn Cory Toussaint, scientist and bat expert, is
studying the bat population at Venetia diamond
mine.
into the Steelpoort River, and I wanted
to know how this affects the immediate
environment and ultimately the people in
the area,” Cory-Toussaint explained. “This
is where I started to think about using bats
as monitoring agents for mines currently
in operation. I’m passionate about bats and
have done a lot of research about them
over the years, and I thought they would be
ideal,” she added.
Human impacts
Open pit mines like De Beer’s Venetia diamond mine in Limpopo, have a significant impact on the
environment.
Several research studies have confirmed
that large anthropogenic developments (like
mining) have an obvious impact on animals,
but that these areas are not always devoid
of life. In fact, in some cases, it has attracted
new species that have avoided these areas
and start utilising it for several different
reasons. There is thus an avoidance reaction
versus adaption and utilisation of these
disturbed mining sites.
There are many examples where human
development, be it agriculture, mining
or urbanisation, has resulted in local
extinctions. The first one that springs to
mind is the American Passenger Pigeon,
which became extinct more than 100
years ago after the arrival of European
immigrants in America. Conversely, there
are also examples where animals (like
European bats) utilised human structures
and multiplied.
Human development, in conjunction
with the effects of climate change, has
resulted in a major shift in the distribution
of animal species, which inevitably results
in intra and inter-specific competition.
Intra-specific competition is between
animals of the same species and its impact is
normally not that severe. On the other hand,
inter-species competition can result in an
established species being driven out, which
ultimately affects the surrounding ecosystem
functionalities. A mining development would
thus create a ripple effect in the ecosystem,
which will ultimately impact on people.
Effects of open cast mining
Water in the bottom of a pit, as well as the tailings dams, attracts insects, which in turn attract bats.
[18] MINING MIRROR AUGUST 2019
According to Cory-Toussaint, open
cast mining, the focus of her study, has
a substantial environmental footprint.
“The first, and most obvious impact, is
habitat loss. Earthmoving and stripping
of the vegetation and soil, results in a
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