Exploring the perceived intrusion of mining into the landscape using the fuzzy cognitive mapping approach

Abstract

Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) is a popular method used towards studying the structure and behaviour of complex systems in a wide range of applications. This paper presents the first application of FCM in exploring factors affecting the perceived nuisance caused by the impact of mining projects on the landscape. To this end, a team of experts in mining and landscape engineering was recruited to develop the conceptual model of the “mining-landscape-society” system. The individual Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) were not significantly different among the experts, as regards the graph theory indices, and the most central concepts reported were related to the socioeconomic profile of the surrounding area, the characteristics of the mining project, and the characteristics of the landscape. The construction and analysis of the collective FCM offered further insights into the understanding of the system and allowed the analysis of its concepts by means of dynamic model inference. The FCM framework proved to be helpful in identifying and quantifying the factors interacting in the “mining-landscape-society” system and offered the ability to study the role and significance of central concepts in the overall system behaviour. In this sense, it is claimed that FCMs could significantly improve the domain of visual impact assessment related to mining activity. Nevertheless, much work remains to be done in order to improve the model and produce more reliable maps. Future efforts should be built on larger groups of experts from different disciplines as well as on non-experts who influence environmental decision-making.