Environmental impacts of mining. Monitoring, restoration and control / Воздействие горнодобывающей промышленности на окружающую среду. Мониторинг, восстановление и контроль

Mining operations have been seen by environmentalists and conservationists alike as causing problems. Undoubtedly, the operations of metal and coal producers have caused varying degrees of environmental damage in mining areas, which are often located in remote regions. In the urban, suburban, and rural settings of agricultural communities, the operators of rock quarries, gravel pits, and certain industrial mines have been considered the more visible and significant offenders. Much of the concern has been focused on the concurrent and subsequent physical and aesthetic effects that their operations have had on the land—as a basic resource. Mining is only a temporary occupier of the land surface and, hence, is of a transient nature. Although active mines at any particular time are not as widespread as other land uses, they dramatically change the landscape and tend to leave evidence of their past use. Thus, the results of abandonment or closure become most conspicuous to the public. There have been continuous confrontations between citizen groups, governmental agencies, and members of the mining industry. The degree of conflict and its nature usually depended on the current land use and the estimated consequences of proposed disturbances. The conflicts centred on the following issues:

• Destruction of the landscape

• Degradation of the visual environment

• Disturbance of watercourses

• Destruction of agricultural and forest lands

• Damage to recreational lands

• Noise pollution

• Dust

• Truck traffic

• Sedimentation and erosion

• Land subsidence

• Vibration from blasting and air blasts

Environmental conscience has developed dramatically and led to widespread public opinion that governments at all levels should be able to control the depletion of natural resources and excessive environmental damage. <...>