This is estimated to containalmost 30%of the globes known lithium.
Lithium mining is thirsty work
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The thing is, producing a single ton of lithium requires roughly400,000 litersof water, according to the study.
Thats because mining companies pump and evaporate the liquid so you can extract lithium.
Alarmingly, this process shrinks nearby lakes where flamingos eat and breed.
And, without enough food, the birds reproduce less, fly elsewhere, or starve.
Its also possible that noise and vehicle traffic from mining operations negatively affect the birds, the authors add.
Theyre actually vital in brine lake ecosystems and for Salar de Atacama in particular.
On top of that, many local communities in the regiondepend on those birds for tourism.
But theres some good news too: flamingo populations havent declined across the broader Lithium Triangle region.
Its no secret that the boom for lithium demand has been having anegative impacton wildlife and biodiversity.
Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW.
With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
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