The Baseline - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 363

with measures proposed to deal with them. Baseline information should be as accurate and
up-to-date as practicable and consequently, some jurisdictions impose time limits on the valid-
ity of an environmental data. If the proposed mine development does not commence within a
predei ned timeframe, the environmental impact assessment itself may become invalid.

Defi ning Reference Points for Future Monitoring
Baseline data provide reference points against which change is monitored. Thus, baseline
data collection should already consider future environmental monitoring needs. Involving
the mining company early in the design of baseline surveys is advisable since the mining
company will eventually be responsible for environmental monitoring during mine opera-
tion. To differentiate between project and natural or third party induced changes, it is
important to include control sites in the baseline survey programme. A control site (also
termed reference site) is a site that is similar to the project area in terms of its environmental
characteristics, but which remains unaffected by mine development. Since environmental
impact assessment is concerned with all natural resources, control sites for air, land, water,
fauna and l ora, and people are required.
Environmental conditions at the mining area during mine operation can be compared
with the control sites. Control sites provide information about the natural range of val-
ues for the parameters used in the monitoring programme and show the annual variation
in these parameters. Without a control site, mining impacts on the natural environment,
including human communities, may be difi cult to ascertain. To maximize comparability
and to allow evaluation of natural variations within the system, control sites are located,
wherever possible within the same geographic region where mining takes place. It is best
if control sites have similar climates, soils, plant and animal assemblages; similar human
inl uences; and similar functions. Including several control sites in the long-term moni-
toring programme can further delineate the natural range of values and annual variation
in the parameters that are monitored. It is often difi cult to i nd appropriate control sites,
particularly for evaluating mine-induced changes on communities.
There is one more challenge in using reference communities to evaluate mine-induced
change on host communities. In spite of best efforts, local average education or income
levels in host communities may decline over the life of a mining project. How can this
happen? Simple statistics such as averages, do not separate between people that were gen-
uine inhabitants of the mining-affected area when mining commenced, and newcomers.
Mining may attract many more in-migrants than are needed. The host government may,
in fact, encourage in-migration since it will view mining as a stimulus for economic devel-
opment. In statistical terms the effect of a surplus in newcomers may easily outweigh the
benei ts generated for the traditional inhabitants.

A control site is a site that is
similar to the project area in
terms of its environmental
characteristics, but which remains
unaffected by mine development.

Without a control site,
mining impacts on the natural
environment, including human
communities, may be diffi cult to
ascertain.

There is one more challenge in
using reference communities to
evaluate mine-induced change on
host communities.

Providing Data Used For Project Design
Environmental data generated from baseline studies, are used by project design personnel
in designing various project components. Common examples are listed in Table 8.5 .

Identifying Existing Environmental Liabilities
Baseline surveys also help to identify any liabilities, if present, that may be inherited from
past or current activities. Relevant activities include past mining activities, existing artisan
mining, legal and illegal logging, transmigration programmes, or illegal hunting ( Case 8.3 ).

Identifying Data Gaps
Baseline surveys help to identify information gaps and areas requiring further study. Gaps
in knowledge may not necessarily obstruct impact evaluation, but effective long-term