A new analysis links the expansion of critical mineral mining in parts of Africa to forest loss that can occur well beyond mine sites. The report focuses on minerals used for clean-energy technologies—such as lithium, vanadium, copper and cobalt—which are in demand for electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. It notes that Sub-Saharan Africa holds large shares of several global mineral reserves, including substantial proportions of platinum, chromium, manganese and cobalt, which increases the pressure to develop new extraction projects. The study argues that mining can set off a “ripple effect,” where activities connected to extraction—such as road building, logging, settlement growth and other land-use changes—contribute to deforestation at distances that can extend roughly tens of kilometers from a mine. The analysis emphasizes that much of this forest loss is largely preventable through stronger planning and safeguards that address downstream land-use impacts rather than only controlling the mine footprint. Overall, the sources present mining-linked deforestation as a wider land-management challenge tied to the global energy transition.