Miners from Australia to Canada are expanding operations despite concerns from indigenous groups about damage to wildlife, water supplies and religious sites, rankling investors who are pressuring the industry to improve its environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

Prices for gold, copper and iron ore, which have recently hit record or multi-year highs, have spurred a hunt for growth that risks ignoring lessons the industry should have learned after the destruction of the Juukan Gorge caves in Australia by Rio Tinto last year, according to institutional investors.