Evaluation of Ecosystem Services in Mining Basins: An Application in the Piedmont Region (Italy)

Vanessa Assumma, Marta Bottero, Caterina Caprioli, Giulia Datola and Giulio Mondini
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Vanessa Assumma: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, Castello del Valentino, Viale Pier Andrea Mattioli, 39-10125 Torino, Italy
Marta Bottero: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, Castello del Valentino, Viale Pier Andrea Mattioli, 39-10125 Torino, Italy
Caterina Caprioli: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, Castello del Valentino, Viale Pier Andrea Mattioli, 39-10125 Torino, Italy
Giulia Datola: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, Castello del Valentino, Viale Pier Andrea Mattioli, 39-10125 Torino, Italy
Giulio Mondini: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, Castello del Valentino, Viale Pier Andrea Mattioli, 39-10125 Torino, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-25

Abstract: Mining activities impact on the territorial system in various ways, affecting its environmental and socio-economic components. Specific evaluation tools can support decision-making processes in the context of the sustainable planning and management of mining activities. Within the evaluation procedures of mining activities, a growing interest in the analysis of Ecosystem Services (ES) is emerging. ES refer to the benefits that the natural system delivers to society, linking the health of ecosystems and human well-being. Starting from a real-world case related to the adoption of the Regional Plan of Mining Activities (PRAE) of the Piedmont region (Northern Italy), the paper aims to explore the ES valuation by considering three different mining quarries. The state of the art of the basins is compared with alternative planning scenarios from the point of view of the ES produced. The valuation is developed through GIS and the Simulsoil software, detecting the biophysical benefits produced and estimating their economic performance. The simulation results can be used to support the formulation of planning strategies, estimating the trade-offs in terms of competitive land-use values. The study also demonstrates that the integration of ES into Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) can produce a comprehensive impact assessment of a mining project, guaranteeing the protection and valorisation of the environmental system.

Keywords: Strategic Environmental Assessment; mining; sustainable development; circular economy; co-benefits estimation; ecosystem services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:2:p:872-:d:723575

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