AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Habitat destruction is one of the main issues of mining activity. Huge areas of natural habitat are destroyed during mine construction and exploitation, forcing animals to leave the site.

Detailed explanation-2: -Destroys plant and animal habitats (kills plants, destroys resources that animals use) and causes animals to leave or die (read more about mining and biodiversity here) The release of chemicals is harmful to humans and causes many deaths (eg. mercury, which harms entire food chains)

Detailed explanation-3: -Open pit mining disturbs larger areas than underground mining, and thus has larger visual and physical impacts. As the amount of waste rock in open pit mines is commonly two to three times the amount of ore produced, tremendous volumes of waste rock are removed from the pits and deposited in areas nearby.

Detailed explanation-4: -Acid drainage from mines is known to cause severe damage to the habitats of aquatic species and/or may bring about changes in the spawning grounds of fishes and habitats of aquatic species.

Detailed explanation-5: -The extraction of minerals from nature often creates imbalances, which adversely affect the environment. The key environmental impacts of mining are on wildlife and fishery habitats, the water balance, local climates & the pattern of rainfall, sedimentation, the depletion of forests and the disruption of the ecology.