From deforestation to reclamation, automated satellite tool tracks vegetation shifts around mining sites
To better assess the spatial extent of mining facilities and their environmental impact, a research team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has developed a satellite-based remote sensing tool.
A research team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has developed an automated satellite tool called SHABA (Seasonal Harmonic Anomaly Break Analysis) to monitor vegetation changes around mining sites. SHABA stands out due to its ability to account for seasonal variations and trends, which helps it reliably detect and quantify shifts in vegetation.
This innovative tool is crucial for assessing the environmental impact of mining, a sector that relies heavily on metals used in modern technologies like smartphones, computers, electric vehicles, solar power, and wind power.
Richard Gloaguen, head of the Department of Exploration at HZDR's Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), explains that while Europe has strict regulations on mining operations, other regions may have different rules. The global land footprint of mining facilities has been inadequately quantified due to the lack of a reliable remote sensing tool. SHABA aims to change that by providing unbiased data on the environmental impact of mines worldwide.
To demonstrate SHABA's effectiveness, the research team analyzed six mining sites across different continents and climates from 2000 to 2025. By scanning vegetation within a 100-kilometer radius of each site, they generated over 100 satellite images per year. SHABA converts satellite data into a clear wave diagram, making it easy to identify and measure significant vegetation changes at specific locations.
For example, SHABA detected vegetation loss in areas where deforestation occurred for mining site expansion or road construction. Conversely, it identified gradual gains in vegetation following reclamation efforts. These findings show that SHABA can accurately pinpoint changes in vegetation near mining sites, both in space and time.
Gloaguen hopes that SHABA will help quantify the land footprint of global mining activities and facilitate better communication between stakeholders on both sides of the environmental impact debate. The tool, already freely accessible, will also be used in future studies to monitor all mines worldwide and make the collected data available at no cost.
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