Gold, Nature and Biodiversity
Nature, climate, and society are intricately interconnected, and addressing their interdependencies demands a more integrated and holistic approach to sustainability-focused research and planning.
Recognising this imperative, the World Gold Council is broadening its analytical lens—moving beyond its established focus on climate change to encompass the nature-related risks and biodiversity impacts associated with gold mining. This evolution reflects a growing understanding that climate stability and social development cannot be achieved without safeguarding ecosystems and the services they provide.
In our new report, Gold, Nature and Biodiversity: An Introduction, we apply the Nature Risk Profile methodology—developed by S&P Global Sustainable1 (our research partners) and UNEP-WCMC—to a sample of 122 gold mines across multiple continents and biomes. This framework, aligned with TNFD’s LEAP approach, enables standardised comparisons of ecological impacts and dependencies across diverse site and geographies.
While the majority of gold mine sites were, perhaps surprisingly, found to exhibit relatively low ecosystem impact, a subset of mines—including those overlapping with protected or ecologically significant areas—were flagged as being of higher impact or significance. Closer examination of the local implications of these findings underscores the importance of targeted risk management and the need to understand nature’s contribution not only to biodiversity but also to local communities.
Importantly, complementing high-level analysis with site-level insights and an examination of company disclosures, reveals a range of practical responses and adaptive strategies that may not be evident from top-down metrics. These localised perspectives help illuminate what ‘good practice’ looks like in real-world contexts and offer a firm foundation for more coherent understanding of gold industry’s nature-related impacts.
We regard this work as a further step toward a more cohesive and integrated sustainability research agenda and hope it will further encourage meaningful industry initiatives to enhance the health and resilience of the ecosystems surrounding gold mining operations.
Gold, Nature and Biodiversity: An Introduction
Our research on Gold, Nature and Biodiversity combines the following:
- An application of the Nature Risk Profile methodology (developed by S&P Global and UNEP) to 122 different gold mine sites of different types (approximately 60% open pit, 40% underground), located across 6 continents, in a range of ecosystems and biomes.
- An examination, referencing the impact metrics from the above analysis, of 15 local mine site-level responses, plans and projects seeking to contribute to risk mitigation, and positive improvement in biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- A consideration of the implications and main drivers of progress for the wider gold mining sector, including how disclosures are positioned and received by industry stakeholders and analysts.
