India, April 8 -- About 20% of mining areas intersect with critical habitats

A new study published in journal Science Advances on April 3, 2024, reveals that more than a third of the entire great ape population in Africa, or nearly 180,000 individuals, could be directly or indirectly threatened by mining now and in the near future.

Gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans are called great apes in recognition of their comparatively large size and humanlike features.

The study, led by researchers from German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in collaboration with non-profit conservation organisation Re:wild, revealed that mining poses a bigger threat to African great apes than...