Strip mining is an extraordinarily appropriate metaphor.
Imagine a mine has an unknown number of rare materials. And you know the general location of a few of the most valuable spots. But you don't know what may be valuable right next to it. If the pieces that we know are valuable are suddenly gone, the incentive to mine that particular area drops considerably, dropping the chance to discover potentially brand new materials that would have been found the normal way.
Imagine a mine has an unknown number of rare materials. And you know the general location of a few of the most valuable spots. But you don't know what may be valuable right next to it. If the pieces that we know are valuable are suddenly gone, the incentive to mine that particular area drops considerably, dropping the chance to discover potentially brand new materials that would have been found the normal way.