Abstract
Crushed and dimension stones, which include 33 lithological varieties among igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks and sedimentary rocks, are mainly located in the southern and south-western part of Poland. Demand for this group of minerals is continuously high, which results from conducted and planned infrastructural investments. Mining activity is associated with interference in the natural environment. Negative consequences of exploitation include, among others: Land surface deformations, and the pollution of the soil, air, and water. In many cases, the extraction of minerals also leads to the liquidation of housing and transportation infrastructure located in the mining area, as well as to reducing the value of real estate in the immediate vicinity of the deposit or to increase in the level of stress among local residents, who are exposed to noise, which causes growing social conflicts in areas designated for exploitation. Thus, the awareness of negative effects of undertaking open-cast mining leads to the conflicts between various groups of stakeholders (residents, environmental organizations, mining entrepreneurs). Through the use of multi-criteria evaluation, this article identifies the places of potential social and environmental conflicts resulting from the planned mining activity in three areas of the densest occurrence of the analysed deposits (Lower Silesia Province, Lesser Poland Province and Świętokrzyskie Province). The assessment of lands over the deposits recognized initially and in detail was proposed, determining the degree of their accessibility. Due to the proposed method, it’s possible to obtain results of the classification of each fragment of the analysed deposit, as well as the surroundings of such deposit at any distance from it, within the boundaries of analysed area. Information may be made available to users of the deposits, mining enterprises interested in exploitation of the deposits or administration responsible for issuing decisions regarding concessions for exploitations of the deposits, so that they have knowledge about conflict areas in the region, resulting from the impact of planned mining activity on life and health of the people and on the environment.
Highlights
Mining is defined as a science covering issues associated with searching and recognition of deposit resources, works that prepare and make the deposits accessible, exploitation of deposits, transport and processing of minerals, as well as reclamation and development of post-mining area
This article describes the methodology for assessing the accessibility of lands over the deposits of crushed and dimension stones recognized initially and in detail, in order to identify potential environmental and social conflicts associated with the planned future
Assessing the accessibility of lands over the deposits of crushed and dimension stones recognized, in order to identify potential environmental and social conflicts associated with the planned future mining activity
Summary
Mining is defined as a science covering issues associated with searching and recognition of deposit resources, works that prepare and make the deposits accessible, exploitation of deposits, transport and processing of minerals, as well as reclamation and development of post-mining area. This article describes the methodology for assessing the accessibility of lands over the deposits of crushed and dimension stones recognized initially and in detail (unexploited), in order to identify potential environmental and social conflicts associated with the planned future. Minerals 2018, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW assessing the accessibility of lands over the deposits of crushed and dimension stones recognized (unexploited), in order to identify potential environmental and social conflicts associated with the planned future mining activity. Issues associated with the difficulty in the scope of undertaking operationswith constitute a current topic in Polish, European,mining as welloperations as global mining activity. Local communities living in the areas where future exploitation is foreseen usually believe constitute a current topic in Polish, European, as well as global mining. Local communities living in in the NIMBY (not in my backyard) principle and they have unfavourable attitude towards the the areas where future exploitation is foreseen usually believe in the NIMBY (not in my backyard) undertaking anyhave initiatives of mining entities that interfere with the of surrounding infrastructure principle andof they unfavourable attitude towards the undertaking any initiatives of mining and environment [1,2,3,4,5]
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