Systematic Review of GIS and Remote Sensing Applications for Assessing the Socioeconomic Impacts of Mining

• Published date: 01 September 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10704965231190126
• Author: Michelle Li Ern Ang,John R. Owen,Christopher N. Gibbins,Éléonore Lèbre,Deanna Kemp,Muhamad Risqi U. Saputra,Jo-Anne Everingham,Alex M. Lechner
• Date: 01 September 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

The Journal of Environment &

Development

2023, Vol. 32(3) 243–273

© The Author(s) 2023

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DOI: 10.1177/10704965231190126

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Systematic Review of GIS

and Remote Sensing

Applications for Assessing

the Socioeconomic

Impacts of Mining

Michelle Li Ern Ang

1

, John R. Owen

2

,

Christopher N. Gibbins

3

,

´

El´

eonore Lèbre

4

, Deanna Kemp

4

,

Muhamad Risqi U. Saputra

5

,

Jo-Anne Everingham

4

, and

Alex M. Lechner

1,5

Abstract

As the mining industry expands, a comprehensive understanding of its socioeconomic

risks and benef‌its is urgently needed. This paper systematically reviews 71 studies

(1996–2021) that utilized spatially integrated approaches to evaluate socioeconomic

mining impacts. The number of studies that utilize geographic information systems and

remote sensing to study mining impacts increased from 2014 onwards. A framework

was used to classify the mining impacts studied in the literature and all eight framework

categories –Environment, Land, People, Community, Culture, Livelihoods, Infra-

structure and Housing –were captured by the literature though Culture was least

studied. Coal mining, active mining phase, Landsat data and classic remote sensing

1

Landscape Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of

Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia

2

Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, Blomfontein, South Africa

3

Hydro-Ecology Lab, School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of NottinghamMalaysia,

Semenyih, Malaysia

4

Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland,

Brisbane, QLD, Australia

5

Monash University, Indonesia, Banten, Indonesia

Corresponding Author:

Michelle Li Ern Ang, Landscape Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Environmental and Geographical

Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia.

Email: Michelle.Ang@nottingham.edu.my

algorithms were most highlighted. Future research should focus on advancing geo-

spatial technology like artif‌icial intelligence (AI) to better capture intangible socio-

economic impacts, under-researched minerals and long-term mine lifecycle

components. Spatially referenced social data can improve stakeholder involvement and

support spatially explicit planning to ensure sustainability.

Keywords

GIS, remote sensing, mining, impact assessment, socioeconomic impacts, spatially

integrated social sciences

Introduction

Minerals are a central facet to the workings of modern life. The extraction of these

mineral resources, however, is also known to have adverse effects on people and the

environment (Githiria & Onifade, 2020). As the demand for mined resources grows,

there is a pressing need for a robust understanding of mining’s impacts on all

stakeholders; this is necessary to enable informed decision-making about the positive

and negative effects of mineral resource extraction (Arts et al., 2019;Owen et al., 2022;

Sonter et al., 2014;Zhang et al., 2017;Zhang et al., 2015). Social impacts in mining

landscapes are dynamic, complex and interconnected, with a variety of benef‌icial and

harmful consequences for liveability, cultural well-being, social cohesion, quality of

life and health (Petrov et al., 2018;Shackleton, 2020;Vanclay et al., 2015). While the

environmental transformations associated with mining have been the subject of much

attention in the geospatial f‌ield, further research is needed to effectively study the

socioeconomic impact of mineral extraction in and around the mining footprint (Owen

et al., 2022;Werner et al., 2019).

Mining can contribute to increased economic activity, poverty alleviation through

job creation and supply chain linkages, and to improved livelihoods and well-being

through funding for education, healthcare and other basic amenities (D’Odorico et al.,

2017;Hajkowicz et al., 2011;Yiran et al., 2012). On the other hand, social tension,

conf‌licts, inequality and loss of access to land can diminish human rights enjoyment

and quality of life for people living in mining areas (Aragon & Rud, 2013;Hook, 2019;

Loayza & Rigolini, 2016;Owen & Kemp, 2014; Reeson et al., 2012). Given these

issues, it is important to understand mining’s impacts across space and time, in order to

provide a more comprehensive assessment that considers all dimensions (Arts et al.,

2019;Hook, 2019;Horsley et al., 2015;Lechner et al., 2017). The Social Framework

for Projects (Smyth & Vanclay, 2017) synthesizes a range of existing approaches and

methods and is used to support the scope and design of our study.

Applied research on mining posits that mining impacts are the result of local and

regional interactions between a project and its unique geological, social, environmental

and economic context (Valenta et al., 2019). The positive and negative effects are

unevenly felt across societal levels and vary in their spatial extent, extending well

244 The Journal of Environment & Development 32(3)