Just restorative pathways for rural landscape and livelihoods impacted by rare-earth mining.

通过与Pensana Plc的合作，Pensana将重点关注安哥拉受稀土开采影响的景观和农村生计。Pensana的目标是建立世界上第一个可持续的磁铁金属供应链，以满足电动汽车，离岸倒带和其他战略性行业对实现英国的清洁能源转型和净零目标至关重要。对稀土矿物的需求已经爆炸式增长，国际能源署的可持续发展情景预测，到2040年，对清洁能源技术的需求将继续增长，需求将增长7倍。非洲许多国家拥有大量需求旺盛的稀有矿物，认为开采对经济发展和减贫至关重要。然而，稀土矿的建设和开采给生态系统、土地和生计带来了重大变化。人们真实的关切的是负面的社会和环境影响以及社会和环境不公正现象可能增加的问题。因此，迫切需要考虑恢复景观和生计。恢复生态系统以改善人类福祉、缓解气候变化和生物多样性危机已成为当务之急。对退化和恢复过程的社会方面的理解存在差距，以及在主要的自上而下的恢复规划/治理过程中当地声音被边缘化，这仍然是一个挑战。成功的申请人将有机会在Pensana的支持下，在实地工作阶段在安哥拉的Longonjo矿或附近工作长达9个月。

Through collaboration with Pensana Plc, empirical focus will be given to landscape and rural livelihoods impacted by rare-earth mining in Angola.Pensana aims to establish the world's first sustainable magnet metal supply chain to meet the burgeoning demand from electric vehicles, offshorewind and other strategic industries vital to achieving the UK's clean energy transition and net zero targets.This project is stimulated by urgent need to progress understanding of the social and environmental impacts of rare-earth mining and to co-developjust restorative pathways for rural landscape and livelihoods impacted by rare-earth mining.Demand for rare-earth minerals has exploded and the international Energy Agency's Sustainable Development scenario predicts growth requirementswill continue with a seven-fold increase in demand by 2040 for clean energy technologies. Many countries in Africa have a plentiful supply of in demand rare minerals and consider extraction critical to economic development and poverty alleviation. However, the construction of and extractionfrom rare-earth mineral mines results in significant changes to ecosystems, land and livelihoods. There are real concerns about the negative socialand environmental impacts and the potential to increase in social and environmental injustices. Restoration of landscapes and livelihoods thereforerequires urgent consideration. Restoring ecosystems to improve human wellbeing and mitigate climate change and biodiversity crises has become aglobal priority. Gaps in understanding of the social aspects of degradation and recovery processes and the marginalisation of local voices in thepredominant top-down restoration planning/governance processes remain a challenge.The successful applicant will have the opportunity to be based at/near the Longonjo mine in Angola for up to 9 months during the fieldwork phase,supported by Pensana.