Wetlands and mining: A case study of “NorthMet”
Carsten Knutsen
Abstract
Estimates have global wetland area at roughly nine percent of Earth’s total land area. Already wetland’s global area has been halved by human activity. As wetlands provide environmental services such as water filtration and carbon sequestration they are of importance to the environment. Wetlands are very sensitive to disturbances; this creates a problem for conservation in the face of development. In Northeastern Minnesota mining in particular threatens wetlands. NorthMet, a copper-nickel mine proposed by Polymet and under review by the state of Minnesota, provides a model for examining wetland management, including potential damages, assessment of the damages, and mitigation of damage caused by mining to surrounding wetlands. Although wetland assessment is improving, because wetlands vary greatly, health indicators must be determined area-by-area. Mitigation techniques are improving, but cannot completely restore the function of a natural wetland. Future research is needed on wetland management to ultimately achieve responsible land use.
