Evaluation of Ecosystem Services in Mining Basins: An Application in the Piedmont Region (Italy)

Abstract

Mining activities impact on the territorial system in various ways, affecting its environmental and socio-economic components. Specific evaluation tools can support decision-making processes in the context of the sustainable planning and management of mining activities. Within the evaluation procedures of mining activities, a growing interest in the analysis of Ecosystem Services (ES) is emerging. ES refer to the benefits that the natural system delivers to society, linking the health of ecosystems and human well-being. Starting from a real-world case related to the adoption of the Regional Plan of Mining Activities (PRAE) of the Piedmont region (Northern Italy), the paper aims to explore the ES valuation by considering three different mining quarries. The state of the art of the basins is compared with alternative planning scenarios from the point of view of the ES produced. The valuation is developed through GIS and the Simulsoil software, detecting the biophysical benefits produced and estimating their economic performance. The simulation results can be used to support the formulation of planning strategies, estimating the trade-offs in terms of competitive land-use values. The study also demonstrates that the integration of ES into Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) can produce a comprehensive impact assessment of a mining project, guaranteeing the protection and valorisation of the environmental system.

The Trade-Offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services in Jiulianshan National Nature Reserve in Jiangxi Province, China

“…According to a report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), approximately 60% of the world's ecosystem services are in degradation, which could threaten global ecological security [4]. Therefore, policymakers should better understand the spatiotemporal dynamics and relationships of ecosystem services for designing sustainable ecological management policies [5,6].…”

Maintaining Carbon Storage Does Not Reduce Fish Production from Mangrove-Fish Pond System: A Case Study in Coastal Area of Subang District, West Java, Indonesia

“…The expansion of the ecosystem services approach to support silvofishery development was also suggested. Previous studies have shown the capacity of the ecosystem services approach in support of sustainable management of natural resources and the environment [34][35][36][37]. The use of this approach requires the following: further exploration of multiple ecosystem services from the silvofishery system, showing the economic value of the ecosystem services, and a trade-off analysis of the ecosystem service values from different types of mangrove-fish pond systems.…”

Analyzing the Evolution of Land-Use Changes Related to Vegetation, in the Galicia Region, Spain: From 1990 to 2018

“…Institutions and citizens have been paying more attention to issues of sustainable development in the last few years [1,2]. The international agendas have also specified a set of short-term measures and goals for reducing the impact of human activities on natural systems.…”

“…This equilibrium is particularly important in this setting because it directly affects both the acquisition and processing of natural resources. In the 1990s, the concept of sustainable development was first applied to mining planning and management [2,5]. Over the last two decades, a lot of effort has gone into developing a sustainable approach to mining [2,5].…”

“…In the 1990s, the concept of sustainable development was first applied to mining planning and management [2,5]. Over the last two decades, a lot of effort has gone into developing a sustainable approach to mining [2,5].…”