Policy Implications of Cross-Border Rare Earth Mining

Policy Implications of Cross-Border Rare Earth Mining: A Geospatial and Remote Sensing Study of Surface Footprint Changes in the Myanmar and China Border by Emmanuel Chinkaka, UD

The rapid growth of rare earth element (REE) mining along the Myanmar-China border, particularly in Kachin State and Yunnan Province, has significantly reshaped the landscape in these regions. This transformation follows China’s 2012 strategy to transition from mining to value-added processing, resulting in increased primary extraction activities in Myanmar. Utilizing Google Earth Engine and Landsat satellite data from 2005 to 2020 and geospatial data fusing techniques, this study quantifies mining surface expansion, revealing a 130% increase in China and a staggering 327% increase in Myanmar. Advanced image analysis techniques confirm that the mining footprint expanded from 1.22 km² in 2005 to 3.78 km² in 2020, alongside a continuous decline in non-mining land cover, especially vegetation. Both mining sites are situated in areas crucial for ethnic minority groups, agrarian livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, and regional watersheds. These findings challenge prevailing assumptions that mining has diminished in China while escalating in Myanmar, highlighting the complex dynamics of resource extraction in border regions. The expansion of mining activities poses significant risks to local communities, biodiversity, and watershed health, emphasizing the urgent need for improved governance and policy interventions to mitigate the environmental and social degradation in these sensitive areas. .