Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 8.4
Overview of Information Typically Collected as Part of Baseline Surveys
Air
Meteorological data (wind speed and direction, precipitation, temperature, humidity, extreme weather conditions, etc)
Air quality (measured parameters commonly defi ned by relevant regulations by the host country; common parameters are particulate matter, SO x ,
NO x , lead, and ozone)
Noise (at day and night)
Inventory of existing air emission sources
Land
Topography (preliminary using existing topographical data and SRTM data)
Geology (data that is often provided by the mining company, but expanded to include information on seismicity, geohydrology, geomorphology, etc.)
Soil types, their distribution and characteristics (also serving as initial input data in mine rehabilitation planning)
Geo-hazards (such as landslide potential, volcanism, earthquakes, tsunamis, collapsing or swelling soils, etc)
Water
Surface water (inventory of existing various surface water bodies, their discharge characteristics; water quality considering average, seasonal, and daily
fl uctuations; water usage; fl ood hazard identifi cation)
Groundwater (differentiating shallow and deep aquifer systems, recharge and discharge areas, groundwater level distribution, and groundwater quality)
Inventory of water users (grouped according to water usage; identifi cation of particular important types of water usages for local communities;
comparison of water availability and water demand)
Coastal and marine waters (coverage and extent very much dependent on mine location and design; e.g. potential subsea tailings disposal or other
marine discharge, and/or development of port facilities)
Fauna and Flora
Species inventories (including identifi cation of particular species important to the affected indigenous or local community as food, medicine, fuel, fodder,
construction, artifact, production, clothing, and for religious and ceremonial purposes, etc);
Identifi cation of endangered species, species at risk, etc (possibly referenced to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red Data Book, the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and national lists);
Identifi cation of particularly signifi cant habitats (as breeding/spawning grounds, remnant native vegetation, wildlife refuge areas including buffer zones and
corridors, habitats, and routes for migratory species) and crucial breeding seasons for endangered and critical species;
Identifi cation of areas of particular economic signifi cance (as hunting areas and trapping sites, fi shing grounds, gathering areas, grazing lands, timber
harvesting sites, and other harvesting areas);
Identifi cation of particularly signifi cant physical features and other natural factors which provide for biodiversity and ecosystems (e.g. watercourses,
springs, lakes);
Mines/quarries that supply local needs; and
Sites or routes of religious, spiritual, ceremonial, or sacred signifi cance.
People
Demographic factors (number and age structure of population, ethnic grouping, population distribution and movement - including seasonal movements);
Housing and human settlements, including involuntary resettlement, expulsion of Indigenous Peoples from lands and involuntary sedentarization of
mobile peoples;
Health status of the community (particularly health problems/issues - availability of clean water - infectious and endemic diseases, nutritional defi cien-
cies, life expectancy, use of traditional medicine, etc);
Levels of employment, areas of employment, skills (particularly traditional skills), education levels (including levels attained through informal and formal
education processes), training, capacity building requirements;
Level of infrastructure and services (medical services, transport, waste disposal, water supply, social amenities or lack thereof for recreation, etc);
Level and distribution of income (including traditional systems of distribution of goods and services based on reciprocity, barter and exchange);
Asset distribution (e.g. land tenure arrangements, natural resource rights, ownership of other assets in terms of who has rights to income and other
benefi ts);
Traditional systems of production (food, medicine, artifacts), including gender roles in such systems;
(Continued)
 
 
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