After the gold rush: vertebrate communities in abandoned gold mines and implications for restoration

Gold mining has rapidly increased across the Amazon Basin in recent years, especially in the Guiana Shield, where it is responsible for up to 90% of total deforestation. This is driven by the global demand for gold, which has continued to rise in value globally. Small scale artisanal gold mining involves destruction of primary rainforest and mercury contamination. However, the impacts on biodiversity and the restoration of forests after gold mining are still to be fully understood.

Working in Guyana, this research aims to investigate the impacts that gold mining has on biodiversity and future implications for abandoned gold mine restoration. With data largely lacking on the impacts of mining on biodiversity and mine restoration, this project aims to fill a scientific knowledge gap which can be used to implement biodiversity conservation and land restoration strategies throughout the Amazon.