Sustainability Assessment of Post-Mining Land Use Planning

dc.contributor.advisorVon Blottnitz, Harro
dc.contributor.authorUgo, Prince Destiny
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-22T08:45:37Z
dc.date.available2022-03-22T08:45:37Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.date.updated2022-03-22T06:37:51Z
dc.description.abstractMining, by its nature, provides enormous investment to the mining nations and by extension contributes to the socio-economic development of the host communities. Where these communities exist, they remain a cause of concern since they are predominantly dependent on the economic opportunities generated by the mine. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) functions in mining are somewhat of a risk reduction activity, even though the potential of halting projects is comparatively rare in situations where proposals are deemed to be of national interest and politically significant. This study highlights the environmental and socio-economic impact of lack of land use planning in host communities where the phenomenon of mine closure is a lived reality and evaluates alternative post-mining land use. In this study a case study, qualitative research approach is used to comparatively evaluate three mining EIA reports (EIA on the extension of mining operations at the Vlakvarkfontein Coal Mine; consolidation of high extraction mining impacts in the Trichardtsfontein; and rail loop, road diversion and pipeline project associated with Temo Coal) on the extent of post-mine land use consideration in the EIA process. Furthermore, the study, inter alia, assessed the extent to which the interested and affected parties' input was considered in EIA reports. In rehabilitation, the applicant is only reinstating the area, as closely as possible, to that which existed pre-mining, and should not be confused as post-mining land use. There is nothing new in providing for rehabilitation in EIA – it is a standard practice. However, the mining EIA reports extensively covered the environmental components, particularly the specialist studies, as they assessed whether projects conformed with the regulatory requirements. The emphasis of the mining EIA reports was mainly on the environmental component with – other than employment and economic benefits – no post-mining land use and socio-economic impact indicators. These trends were found to be further reinforced when the input of the interested and affected parties (I&APs) was analysed. In view of the findings of this study, the main recommendations to improve the EIA systems would be to clarify and simplify the mandates of the several institutions involved in the EIA process and system; and to improve and increase public access to EIA reports, including electronic means. This is pertinent due to the conspicuous absence of EIA reports in the public domain, which contributed to the limited number of EIA reports that were reviewed in this dissertation. In addition, public participation processes (PPP) should be conducted in most common languages of the stakeholders; and specialist social impact assessment should go beyond the traditional socio-economic issues faced by I&APs to include post-mining land use, as well as sustainable post-mining economy.
dc.identifier.apacitationUgo, P. D. (2021). <i>Sustainability Assessment of Post-Mining Land Use Planning</i>. (). ,Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36180en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationUgo, Prince Destiny. <i>"Sustainability Assessment of Post-Mining Land Use Planning."</i> ., ,Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36180en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationUgo, P.D. 2021. Sustainability Assessment of Post-Mining Land Use Planning. . ,Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36180en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Master Thesis AU - Ugo, Prince Destiny AB - Mining, by its nature, provides enormous investment to the mining nations and by extension contributes to the socio-economic development of the host communities. Where these communities exist, they remain a cause of concern since they are predominantly dependent on the economic opportunities generated by the mine. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) functions in mining are somewhat of a risk reduction activity, even though the potential of halting projects is comparatively rare in situations where proposals are deemed to be of national interest and politically significant. This study highlights the environmental and socio-economic impact of lack of land use planning in host communities where the phenomenon of mine closure is a lived reality and evaluates alternative post-mining land use. In this study a case study, qualitative research approach is used to comparatively evaluate three mining EIA reports (EIA on the extension of mining operations at the Vlakvarkfontein Coal Mine; consolidation of high extraction mining impacts in the Trichardtsfontein; and rail loop, road diversion and pipeline project associated with Temo Coal) on the extent of post-mine land use consideration in the EIA process. Furthermore, the study, inter alia, assessed the extent to which the interested and affected parties' input was considered in EIA reports. In rehabilitation, the applicant is only reinstating the area, as closely as possible, to that which existed pre-mining, and should not be confused as post-mining land use. There is nothing new in providing for rehabilitation in EIA – it is a standard practice. However, the mining EIA reports extensively covered the environmental components, particularly the specialist studies, as they assessed whether projects conformed with the regulatory requirements. The emphasis of the mining EIA reports was mainly on the environmental component with – other than employment and economic benefits – no post-mining land use and socio-economic impact indicators. These trends were found to be further reinforced when the input of the interested and affected parties (I&APs) was analysed. In view of the findings of this study, the main recommendations to improve the EIA systems would be to clarify and simplify the mandates of the several institutions involved in the EIA process and system; and to improve and increase public access to EIA reports, including electronic means. This is pertinent due to the conspicuous absence of EIA reports in the public domain, which contributed to the limited number of EIA reports that were reviewed in this dissertation. In addition, public participation processes (PPP) should be conducted in most common languages of the stakeholders; and specialist social impact assessment should go beyond the traditional socio-economic issues faced by I&APs to include post-mining land use, as well as sustainable post-mining economy. DA - 2021_ DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Sustainable Mineral Resource Development LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2021 T1 - Sustainability Assessment of Post-Mining Land Use Planning TI - Sustainability Assessment of Post-Mining Land Use Planning UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36180 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/36180
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationUgo PD. Sustainability Assessment of Post-Mining Land Use Planning. []. ,Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering, 2021 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36180en_ZA
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Chemical Engineering
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
dc.subjectSustainable Mineral Resource Development
dc.titleSustainability Assessment of Post-Mining Land Use Planning
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMPhil
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