Emerging Challenges and Their Solutions Related to the Climate and Forest Ecosystem Due to the Metal Ore Project in Surjagarh, Gadchiroli District, Maharashtra

The Surjagarh Iron Ore Project in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra, represents one of the largest mining initiatives in central India and has significant economic importance for regional development and the steel industry. However, large-scale extraction of iron ore in a biodiversity-rich forest landscape has raised concerns regarding climate resilience, forest degradation, biodiversity conservation, hydrological changes, and socio-economic impacts on indigenous communities. The Surjagarh hills are situated within dense tropical forests inhabited by Scheduled Tribes, including the Madia Gond community, and support numerous floral and faunal species. This paper examines the emerging environmental and climatic challenges associated with mining activities in the Surjagarh region through secondary data analysis obtained from Forest Survey of India (FSI), India State of Forest Report (ISFR), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Geological Survey of India (GSI), and published scientific literature. The study analyses land-use changes, carbon emissions, forest fragmentation, biodiversity threats, hydrological disturbances, and socio-economic implications. Suitable mitigation strategies based on sustainable mining, afforestation, carbon sequestration, biodiversity restoration, community participation, and climate-smart governance are proposed.