Maria Menegaki

Landscape Analysis as a Tool for Surface Mining Design

Surface mining operations constitute one of the most visible and significant landscape offenders because of their geomorphologic and aesthetic effects. In recent years, the disturbance of the landscape owing to surface mining activities seems to be one of the most significant issues to deal with, as it raises serious conflicts between the public and the extractive industry. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt an environmentally friendly design for an excavation of any possible degree. Thus far, existing visual-impact assessment methodologies provide little support towards this direction as a consequence of their, mainly, qualitative character. In this paper we describe a new, more quantitative, methodological approach which is based on the measurement of topographic relief alteration caused by mining and quarrying works, and which makes use of modern mining software and geographic information systems tools. The methodology provides the means to adjust the excavation design in a way that minimizes visual impacts caused by the landform reprofiling. It can be applied in every stage of the life of a mine project. Moreover, if modified, it can also be used for the estimation of topographic relief alteration in projects within the construction sector that involve significant earthmoving works.

Bridging the Gap Between Quarrying Activity and the Public: A Case Study in Athens, Greece

Public opposition against quarrying activity is not a local, and certainly not a recent phenomenon. In the case of Attica basin, Greece, this conflict had started almost thirty years ago. Until today any attempt to deal with the problem proved to be ineffective. This paper presents the case study of a quarry, located very close to residential areas of the wider Athens region, which was forced to cease its operation due to the repeated complaints of the residents. The analysis showed that the root causes of the problem were very different from the ones that have been initially brought forth. The main aim of the study has been the finding of win-win solutions, which could constitute the basis for consent between the public and the quarry developers.

Assessing the chromatic contrast in open surface excavations: a comparative study between subjective and quantitative approaches

The difficulties in the quantification of various aspects of visual impacts, among them the colour contrast, have resulted in delay of the development of effective assessment methodologies for mining operations. Technological evolution in image analysis has boosted the progression of more quantitative approaches. Yet, the critical question on how close the quantitative results are to the perceived colour difference remains an open issue. This paper is one of the few efforts to bridge subjective opinions gathered by a public preference survey with quantitative estimates of three different measurement approaches. Two main conclusions are drawn. First, people tend to compare the colour of the exposed excavation with the colour of the area near the edges of the quarry site. Second, the subjective colour difference is affected by landscape features that cannot be measured in numerical terms from existing image analysis tools.

Construction industry and archaeology: a land-use conflict on the island of Andros, Greece

Recent discoveries of an archaeological site near a complex of an aggregate quarry and a concrete plant on the island of Andros, Greece, have caused considerable controversy. More specifically, the continued operation of the aggregate quarry and concrete making plant was questioned, after the discovery of an important Neolithic settlement in the vicinity of the plants. The relocation of the quarry and the concrete plant is not an easy task, due to the touristic character of the island, as well as the great number of other antiquities found all over the island. On the other hand, the closure of the plant would have had significant implications on the islands economy. In the light of this situation, the symbiosis of these two different activities has been examined. According to the results of the study, the two activities can coexist under certain conditions, which are discussed in the article.

How much are people willing to pay for efficient waste management schemes? A benefit transfer application.

To socially justify the need for better municipal solid waste management services, especially in the light of the limited availability of public funds, it is important to quantify the monetary value of the potential social and environmental benefits offered by them. This article aims at estimating society’s willingness to pay improved municipal solid waste management and establishing suitable reference values using the ‘benefit transfer’ method. To this direction, relevant studies from the global scientific and grey literature in the field of municipal solid waste management valuation are analysed and two different transfer approaches are implemented. According to the analysis, the mean annual willingness to pay per household is 88.4 USD2014 (5%-trimmed mean: 78.7 USD2014; 95% confidence interval lower bound: 64.8 USD2014 and upper bound: 112.0 USD2014). The analysis yields estimates with a high standard deviation and notably broad confidence intervals, owing to design issues of the primary studies, the different socioeconomic profiles of the populations surveyed and the existing level of municipal solid waste management services. Thus, a meta-regression model is estimated to explore the sources of heterogeneity and facilitate more accurate transfer values. Nevertheless, the limited number of observations and some methodological issues in the design and conduct of the original surveys set certain challenges and increase the level of uncertainty of the transfer values.

Forecasting aggregates demand: a case study in Attica, Greece

A lot of times it seems to be forgotten that sustainability does not only deal with environmental protection but also with the adequacy of raw materials for the conservation and recycling of life on the planet. In the case of aggregates the second aspect of the term is of great importance given that they are the most used materials, second only to water. Nevertheless, the extraction of aggregates in the vicinity of urban areas becomes a difficult task to accomplish, due to environmental implications and conflicts with other land uses. Both parameters call for a sound and long-term management, the first step of which should be a good establishment of future demand. The article introduces the main forecasting techniques that can be used for this purpose. It is proved that the models developed for the case of the Attica basin, Greece, can be applied in every region of the country, if adjusted to their individual characteristics, setting the boundaries of aggregates needs for a long-term period.

LandRate toolbox: An adaptable tool for eye movement analysis and landscape rating

The paper presents a new software tool called LandRate toolbox. The toolbox constitutes an extension of EyeMMV toolbox and supports the generation of a full analysis report based on experimental data collected through eye tracking methods. Additionally, a new aggregated index (LRI), appropriate for the performance of landscape rating procedures, is introduced. The index combines both quantitative eye tracking metrics and experts’ opinions while it can be easily adapted in similar fields.

Valuing quarry sites through capitalisation of private parties royalties

Abstract In recent decades, the effectiveness of royalties as a mechanism capable of capturing true economic rents is one of the most debatable issues for the mining industry worldwide. So far, the main interest in the literature lies in royalties as a form of mining taxation. This paper, however, focuses on the use of private royalties for the valuation of an aggregate quarry site, in Greece, which is made up of the value of the royalty income stream to the landowner. Defining a fair royalty for the seller as well as the purchaser was a mostly challenging issue, and although referred to as a specific case study, the analysis provides a useful insight for mining practitioners involved in quarry valuation.

Underground hazardous waste disposal : a dynamic alternative to current hazardous waste management

Current hazardous waste management in Europe is characterized by great differences from country to country. In the majority of EU and other European countries landfill or incineration are the main options, although in several Western European countries recovery of hazardous waste is also important. European Directive 99/31 rises up the environmental standards for landfills and pushes hard for a big increase of the already high landfill tipping fees. Practically, this Directive acts as a market driver prohibiting new hazardous waste landfills. Taking into account that European Council Decision 2003/33 provides a concrete framework for the safe use of underground space, it seems that underground disposal in abandoned mines is a cheap and viable solution for hazardous waste. The investigation on a suitable technology for that purpose was the main objective of the research project “Low Risk Disposal Technology”. The paper presents the basic principles of the technology proposed and compares the latter with the surface landfilling.