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| Author(s): |
Josianne Claudia Sales Rosa
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP/BC) |
| Defense date: | 2019-03-21 |
| Examining board members: |
Luis Enrique Sánchez;
Fabio de Andrade Abdala;
Victoriano Ramon Vallejo Calzada;
Aliny Patricia Flauzino Pires;
Ademir Reis
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| Advisor: | Luis Enrique Sánchez |
| Abstract | |
Mining is a temporary land use hence companies are required to rehabilitate mined areas to ensure a positive legacy to society. Engaging with stakeholders is considered a good practice to support planning for post-mining land use. However, only biophysical indicators have been used to assess mine rehabilitation efforts, without an adequate evaluation of social outcomes. Ecosystem services assessment is a tool increasingly being used to understand the benefits that society obtains from ecosystems and is in many decision-making contexts. The integrative characteristic of the ecosystem services concept could advance planning and monitoring mine rehabilitation by translating biophysical outcomes into social benefits, and demonstrating how rehabilitation efforts could improve human well-being. This thesis developed a framework to incorporate the ecosystem services concept into the planning and monitoring process of mine rehabilitation. The framework was called ESAR - Ecosystem Services Assessment for Rehabilitation. The research was conducted in four phases. The first aimed at reviewing the literature and international best practices to develop the draft version of ESAR. In the second phase, ESAR was tested in two bauxite mines located in forest ecosystems, one in Brazil and another in Australia, both operated by the company Alcoa. The third phase aimed at validating ESAR by mining professionals from Brazil and Australia perspectives. In the last phase, government regulators of the two countries assessed ESAR. Overall the study demonstrates that meeting regulatory requirements for rehabilitation, as measured by ecological indicators, does not automatically correlate with acceptable social outcomes. Professionals and regulators see ESAR as an opportunity to engage stakeholders and demonstrate social benefits of mine rehabilitation. Both also affirmed that outcomes analysis of rehabilitation programmes is currently poorly done, and it is the most difficult step of ESAR. We argue that the ecosystem services concept facilitates stakeholders\' engagement and that a structured and integrated database is required to demonstrate beneficial outcomes. In conclusion, the research showed value in reframing mine rehabilitation practices to accommodate ecosystem services alongside the well-established ecological goals so as to explicitly demonstrate the social benefits of rehabilitation. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 14/22927-1 - Evaluating outcomes of mine land rehabilitation through ecosystem services |
| Grantee: | Josianne Cláudia Sales Rosa |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |