The role of mineral resources knowledge in the economic planning and development in Poland

Abstract

Geological reconnaissance of the country and gathering knowledge on the occurrences of mineral deposits is a permanent task of geological survey carried out in cooperation with academia and mineral industry. In Poland, a fundamental role in this process is played by the Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute (PGI-NRI) operating as the geological survey under the supervision of the Ministry of Climate and Environment. PGI-NRI creates concepts of geological structures of the country, conducts independent prospecting studies, archives geological documentations made by mineral companies and verifies geological forecasts. The results of these works carried out for over 50 years are periodically published in the form of scientific monographs entitled The balance of prospective mineral resources in Poland. Presented in The balance of prospective mineral resources in Poland data on prognostic and perspective areas, as well as on the documented deposits are indispensable for country planning of economic development through, among others, protection of mineral deposits in the process of spatial management of the country. Polish prospective mineral resource studies include archival geological data reprocessing, mineral deposit modelling and new geological exploration projects. The synthesis of this research is The balance of prospective mineral resources in Poland which is a unique publication in terms of scope and content, because such data are not published in similar form and with the same scope of geological information in other countries. Therefore, authors would like to familiar international geological opinion with Polish experience and to widespread knowledge about mineral resources in Poland. The last edition (2020) of The balance of prospective mineral resources in Poland was prepared, edited and written among others by the authors of this article. In agreement with the conclusions presented in The balance of prospective mineral resources in Poland, our country is still of high geological potential, especially as regards the deposits of Cu, Ag, Pb, Zn ores, chemical and rock minerals. Thanks to this information mineral companies can plan and realize projects to document deposits and then finally develop the deposits. It is necessary to underline that proved and prospective deposits should be protected against such land development which would limit or eliminate mining activity in the future. Unfortunately, the current legal protection of undeveloped deposits in Poland is insufficient and requires new legislative solutions.