Involving stakeholders in a meaningful way in decision making on mine sites - The strategies of the EO-Miners research project (original) (raw)

Stakeholder Engagement to Achieve Social-Licensing for Novel Technologies in Mine-Site Development – Applying Lessons-Learnt from EO-MINERS to I2Mine

Falck, W.E., Hejny, H.H., Spangenberg, J.H., Wittmer, D. 2014. Stakeholder Engagement to Achieve Social-Licensing for Novel Technologies in Mine-Site Development – Applying Lessons-Learnt from EO-MINERS to I2Mine. Proceedings, AIMS “High Performance Mining”, 11-12 June, 2014, RWTH Aachen: 611-620.

Achieving social-licensing becomes increasingly an indispensable prerequisite for the successful and sustainable development of mining projects. Stakeholder acceptance may not only extend to the acceptance of the mine site and its environmental and social impacts as such, but also to the mode of its operation. This may include the mining techniques, health & safety issues, as well as the techniques used to monitor compliance with environmental and other applicable standards. The recently completed FP7 project EO-MINERS faced this kind of challenges of soliciting stakeholder input into the development of techniques for monitoring the environmental and socio-economic development at mine sites. This paper examines the experiences gained in the EOMINERS project with social demand-based formulations of technical requirements in order to develop a strategy for application within the I2Mine project.

EO-MINERS: Monitoring the environmental and societal impact of the extractive industry using Earth Observation

The growing demand for mineral and energy resources over the last decade has placed the extractive industry under increasing pressure to monitor and reduce the environmental and societal impact throughout the life-cycle of mining operations. Despite the mounting pressure, the industry is still facing the challenge of how to define targets for, and monitor, the impact of mining. In 2010, the EU-funded EO-MINERS project (Earth Observation for Monitoring and Observing Environmental and Societal Impacts of Mineral Resources Exploration and Exploitation) was set up in an effort to help address this issue, specifically through the application of Earth Observation (EO) data. Furthermore, the aim was to help facilitate and improve interaction and dialogue between the mineral extractive industry and society in view of its sustainable development, while improving its societal acceptability. One of the primary project objectives was to develop novel yet objective EO products contributing to a ...

Beyond the dissemination of Earth Observation research: stakeholders’ and users’ involvement in project co-design

Journal of Science Communication

Modern technology and innovation research needs to analyse and collect users’ requirements from the outset of the project’s design, according to the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approach. Bringing in new services without involving end-users in the whole research process does not make for optimal results in terms of scientific, technological and economic impact. This commentary reports on research experience of stakeholder involvement and co-production in Italy, implemented in Earth Observation downstream services at regional level. It reports the participative approach and method adopted and the impacts and benefits derived.

Participation Processes for the Minerals Industry

This report reviews public participation. It is not practical, and probably impossible, to anticipate the full range of processes required by industry or our Division and therefore, the report aims to present the fundamentals of public participation by introducing a range of different processes. The aim is to equip the reader with the knowledge and resources required for understanding their own needs and selecting a relevant type of participation process.

The provision and utility of earth science to decision-makers: synthesis and key findings

Environment Systems and Decisions, 2019

This paper synthesizes important elements from case studies presented in its companion paper (Quigley et al., 2019) to define mutual and distinct characteristics and to develop a more holistic understanding of how earth science was used to support diverse examples of decision-making. We identify a suite of 28 di↵erent science actions used within the case studies that

Multi-stakeholder collaboration to unlock the potential of deep-level mining in South Africa

Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2017

South Africa's narrow-reef mining operations are facing challenges such as volatile commodity prices, operational cost increases in excess of inflation, health and safety issues, and depletion of less geologically complex reserves. These challenges have resulted in declining production profiles for many mining companies. Data collected and modelled from South Africa's three principal gold mining companies, AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, and Sibanye Gold, indicates that 592 Mt of mineable gold resources remain, with up to 496 Mt of potential reserves available if miners adopt mechanized systems. These resources have the potential to extend the life of gold mining operations beyond the year 2045. A similar situation exists in the platinum sector, where 360 Mt of production can be exploited with the application of non-conventional mining methods. During investigations as part of the Phakisa initiative, it was noted that current industry challenges require solutions that are specific to the South African tabular mining environment. These solutions include increasing local mining research and development capacity, encouragement of local equipment manufacturing and associated procurement, and technology and skills transfer. Owing to the magnitude of the changes required to establish a sustainable mining industry, stakeholders agreed to a collaborative approach through a public-private partnership. This paper seeks to provide a background to the Mining Phakisa initiative and the drivers behind collaboration of various stakeholders to ensure sustainability of the South African deep-level mining industry. The collaboration drivers are discussed by highlighting challenges in South Africa in relation to mining. narrow-reef mining, sustainability, mining R&D, public-private partnership, technology readiness.

BEYOND DISSEMINATION — SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AS IMPACT Beyond the dissemination of Earth Observation research: stakeholders' and users' involvement in project co-design

Modern technology and innovation research needs to analyse and collect users' requirements from the outset of the project's design, according to the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approach. Bringing in new services without involving end-users in the whole research process does not make for optimal results in terms of scientific, technological and economic impact. This commentary reports on research experience of stakeholder involvement and co-production in Italy, implemented in Earth Observation downstream services at regional level. It reports the participative approach and method adopted and the impacts and benefits derived. Abstract Participation and science governance; Public engagment with science and technology; Science communication: theory and models