Biodiversity and Mining Governance: Senegal and Turkey

This case study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem protections into mining governance, focusing on the application of the mitigation hierarchy (MH) in Senegal and Turkey. It provides a framework for governments to develop national policies and institutional arrangements to ensure that mining activities result in no net loss (NNL) or a net positive impact (NPI) on biodiversity.

• The mitigation hierarchy (MH) is a framework used to reduce negative mining impacts through a prioritized four-step process: avoidance, minimization, rehabilitation/restoration, and offsets. Avoidance is the primary priority, with offsets considered only as a last resort after all other measures have been applied.
• Mining activities are identified as the fourth-largest driver of forest loss globally, with impacts varying based on the scale of the operation and the type of mineral; high-volume, low-value bulk minerals like iron ore typically require larger infrastructure and cause more significant impacts than low-volume, high-value minerals like gold or diamonds.
• At the Mako gold project in Senegal, the operator implemented the MH to protect western chimpanzees by reducing the mine footprint to approximately 300 ha (half the original plan) and rerouting the main access road to avoid fragmenting access to gallery forests and water sources.
• The Mako gold project's biodiversity offset program involves a partnership between the mine operator, Senegal's national parks department, and the NGO Panthera to manage a 1,800 km2 intervention zone in the southeast section of Niokolo-Koba National Park.
• At the Öksüt gold mine in Turkey, the operator established a biodiversity baseline through vantage point surveys to protect migratory birds near the Sultan Marshes National Park, leading to the installation of diverters every 10 m along the mine's powerline.
• The Öksüt gold mine utilized specific offset targets set at 120% of the expected net loss to create a safety buffer for vulnerable flora species (Campanula stricta var. aladagensis and Verbascum luridiflorum) and the Irano-Anatolian steppe habitat.
• The document recommends that governments adopt national biodiversity policies that set explicit goals, such as moving from cumulative loss to no net loss (NNL) or net positive impact (NPI), and integrate these into environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs).

APA

Crawford, A., & Furnell, S. (2022). Biodiversity and Mining Governance: Senegal and Turkey. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-07/igf-case-study-biodiversity-mining-senegal-turkey.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec, and Simon Furnell. Biodiversity and Mining Governance: Senegal and Turkey. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-07/igf-case-study-biodiversity-mining-senegal-turkey.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |last2=Furnell |first2=Simon |title=Biodiversity and Mining Governance: Senegal and Turkey |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-07/igf-case-study-biodiversity-mining-senegal-turkey.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2022biodiversity, author = {Crawford, Alec and Furnell, Simon}, title = {{Biodiversity and Mining Governance: Senegal and Turkey}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-07/igf-case-study-biodiversity-mining-senegal-turkey.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }