Protected Areas

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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Category

• Topographic information
• Impact assessment
• Change detection / continuous monitoring
• Land cover / use
• Near surface geology

• Surface deformation
• Precision ortho-images
• Terrain information
• Water quantity & quality

Uses

Exploration, Environmental Assessment & Permitting

• Baseline information to assess and minimise the potential impact of mining activities on nearby protected areas.

Design, Construction & Operations

• Baseline information for site design and layout infrastructure and progressive rehabilitation steps

Mine Closure & Aftercare

Challenges addressed

• Exploration – Mapping Infrastructure
• Permitting Process – Restricted Lands
• Development and Operations – Existing Infrastructure
• Development and Operations – Site Layout Design
• Development and Operations – Affected Land Status
• Closure and Aftercare – Environmental Monitoring
• Closure and Aftercare – Affected Stakeholders

Geo-information needs

• E-4: Infrastructural mapping;
• P-10: Protected areas
• DO-1: Access to site - national roads, rails...;
• DO-2: Site design and layout infrastructure;
• DO-4: Land disturbed by mining activities;
• CA-1: Demonstration of rehabilitation/revegetation;
• CA-2: Characterisation of flora and fauna;
• CA-6: Demonstrate no impact on special area of conservation;
• CA-8: Farming activities - confirm the return to baseline conditions for crops/animals

Description

This product provides an overview of the protected areas in the region of interest. Their mapping and locations relative to the potential mining site are of importance in the exploration, assessment and approval steps of the mining cycle. Products such as Natura2000 (protected areas in the European Union), location of national parks, conservation areas and cultural heritage (i.e., types of protected areas) are often directly available from national mapping authorities. In the eventually of such product being unavailable or of insufficient accuracy, the locations of protected areas can be directly extracted from optical imagery products (provided the help of a biologist/environmental engineer with local knowledge).

Known restrictions / limitations

Lifecycle stage and demand

Exploration

Environmental Assessment and Permitting

Design, Construction and Operations

Mine Closure and Aftercare

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Geographic coverage

EARSC Thematic Domain

Domain

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Input data sources

Website

Minimum Mapping Unit (MMU)

Minimum detectable feature size (dependent on input pixel resolution, ~1 – 3 px)

Accuracy / constraints

Thematic accuracy:

Protected areas should be detected given the fact the areas are larger than the minimum detectable feature size.

Spatial accuracy:

Dependent on the input pixel resolution; typically, ~0.5 - 1 pixel.

Accuracy assessment approach & quality control measures

Dependent on the input pixel resolution; typically, ~0.5 - 1 pixel.

Frequency / timeliness

Digitalization of protected areas (if not available) from imagery products can be completed within a few hours/days of work, dependent on the extent of the potential mining area and the presence of nearby protected areas (one-time task). 

Availability

Data from Sentinel satellites are freely available through the open data policy of the European Space Agency. Data is made available typically within 6-12 hours of satellite fly-over.

GeoEye-1, Worldview, SPOT and Pleiades data are commercially licensed and must be purchased through operator/vendor. Usually available within hour(s) of satellite fly-over.

Delivery / output format

Protected areas

Map of protected areas (national parks, cultural locations…)  in the region of interest

Output: vector formats - shapefile, client-specified spatial formats, report on key indicators

USE CASE