Livro EDM

A Herança das Minas Abandonadas 27
Where mine and associated buildings
are still standing, safe demolifamilies
in the former mining area.
It is important to map the availability
of key skills which can be called
upon to identify, evaluate, design
and implement socio-economic regeneration
options for a site. This
should include the skills present
in expatriate communities which
might be interested in returning if
economic opportunities improved.
3. Evaluate and prioritise the
opportunities for improvement
Drawing on the findings of the baseline
assessment, the next step is to
evaluate and prioritise the opportunities
for improvement.
An immediate first priority for all
legacy sites is the removal of physi-
cal, chemical hazards that may have
a significant impact on human health
or the environment. In some cases,
the presence of toxic substances or
unstable landforms, or both, may
mean that the source of these risks
must be removed. This may involve
the physical clean-up of contaminated
areas and the disposal of hazardous
materials either in appropriatelydesigned
disposal facilities at the
mine site, or at specialised offsite
disposal sites. In case where large
volumes of material are involved, reprocessing
may be the best option,
and could generate revenue to offset
the cost of regeneration.
tion and de-contamination are often
required to reduce the risk of harm
from chemical substances.
The capacity of the mined land to
support economic activities is often
the greatest barrier to successful
post-mining regeneration. It may
never be possible to recreate the
pre-mining natural or modified
conditions, but an assessment of
the gap between the site conditions
and the potential for greater productive
capacity is needed for each
option being considered. This is an
opportunity to consider not just traditional
land-uses and agricultural
activities but also other ways of
creating a sustainable post-mining
economy.
Mina de Aljustrel - Vista
geral da escombreira de
Algares.
Aljustrel Mine - General
view of the Algares
waste pile.