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A Framework for Ranking the Environmental Risk of Abandoned Mines in the State of Minas Gerais/Brazil

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  • Patrícia Rocha Maciel Fernandes

    (Graduate Program in Mineral Engineering, Departamento de Engenharia de Minas, Escola de Minas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto 35400-000, Brazil)

  • Hernani Mota de Lima

    (Graduate Program in Mineral Engineering, Departamento de Engenharia de Minas, Escola de Minas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto 35400-000, Brazil)

Abstract

Abandoned mines are a major mining liability for the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The impacts and risks of abandoned mines are specific to the location and type of ore, but they cover social, economic, and cultural aspects. A central element of an abandoned mine management policy is the definition of a methodology to identify and rank characteristics of abandoned mines that pose a risk to the environment and society. This article presents a methodology for the ranking of environmental risks for abandoned mines in the state of Minas Gerais based on different evaluation factors of their external effects on the environment, safety, the population and surrounding areas, heritage and the landscape. The environmental risk of the abandoned mine area was generated to establish the “Abandoned Mine Area Environmental Risk Hierarchy”. To achieve this a multi-criteria analysis (using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)) was adopted with each preponderant factor being compared and measured. The results show that the use this framework can support in the decision-making process of an environmental agency for developing the intervention aimed at situations of greater gravity, which, ultimately, may require the use of public resources to reduce risks.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrícia Rocha Maciel Fernandes & Hernani Mota de Lima, 2021. "A Framework for Ranking the Environmental Risk of Abandoned Mines in the State of Minas Gerais/Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:24:p:13874-:d:703202
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Unger, C.J. & Lechner, A.M. & Kenway, J. & Glenn, V. & Walton, A., 2015. "A jurisdictional maturity model for risk management, accountability and continual improvement of abandoned mine remediation programs," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1-10.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ottone Scammacca & Rasool Mehdizadeh & Yann Gunzburger, 2022. "Territorial Mining Scenarios for Sustainable Land-Planning: A Risk-Based Comparison on the Example of Gold Mining in French Guiana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-25, August.

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