Potential impacts to biodiversity of rare and vulnerable species from proposed lithium extraction
An assessment of 55 proposed lithium extraction projects in California and Nevada reveals extensive overlap with habitats of globally and locally imperiled species. More than 538,000 ha of project areas support 54 vulnerable species, many wetland‑dependent, with several having their entire known range inside proposed sites. Broader lithium‑reserve regions contain hundreds more at‑risk species. Findings emphasize the need for holistic planning to identify low‑conflict extraction areas that meet mineral demand while minimizing biodiversity loss.
Subject Tags
- Conservation Planning
- Renewable energy
- Biodiversity
Abstract
Lithium batteries are currently used in most mobile devices, electric vehicles and utility-scale battery storage systems. The demand for lithium is expected to increase in the coming decades, and understanding the potential impacts of extracting lithium on biodiversity is critically important for identifying the most appropriate places for extraction to occur. We document the potential impact of 55 proposed lithium extraction projects and broad areas identified as containing lithium reserves on the biodiversity of imperiled to vulnerable species (ranked G1-G3 and S1-S3). We identified 538,426 ha of proposed lithium project sites and adjacent impact areas in California and Nevada. Within the proposed projects areas there were 34 species ranked globally imperiled to vulnerable in California and 19 species ranked globally imperiled to vulnerable in Nevada. Broad areas identified as containing lithium reserves supported 366 species in California and 193 species in Nevada that were ranked as imperiled to vulnerable. Of the 20 most imperiled species, 85% were wetland dependent, and seven species had 100% of their known distribution occur within a proposed lithium project site. If the current proposed lithium projects are built, 54 globally imperiled to vulnerable species are likely to be negatively impacted in California and Nevada. These results highlight the importance of balancing conservation of biodiversity with solutions to mitigate climate change. To limit biodiversity loss, there is a need for a holistic planning process that prioritizes the lowest conflict sites for development over high-conflict sites.
Citation
Clifford, M. J., Parker, S. S., Saito, L., Cohen, B. S., Fraga, N. S., Heintz, K., & Saftner, D. (2025). Potential impacts to biodiversity of rare and vulnerable species from proposed lithium extraction. Global Ecology and Conservation, e03974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03974
TNC Authors
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Michael J. Clifford
Nevada Conservation Scientist
The Nature Conservancy
Email: michael.clifford@tnc.org -
Sophie S. Parker
Interim Director of Conservation Science, California
The Nature Conservancy
Email: sophie_parker@tnc.org -
Laurel Saito
Strategy Director, Water, Nevada
The Nature Conservancy
Email: laurel.saito@tnc.org -
Brian S. Cohen
Global Safeguards Senior Manager
The Nature Conservancy
Email: brian.cohen@tnc.org