Environmental risks in mining areas – connecting expert assessments and social representations for a more efficient risk communication
Funding Programme
UEFISCDI – Research Projects to Stimulate Young Independent Teams
Project Duration
2018–2020
Project Director
- Lucrina Ștefănescu
Project Team
- Filip Alexandrescu
- Alina Pop
- Veronica Constantin
- Camelia Botezan
- Andrei Radovici
- Monika Meltzer
Project Description
The overall objective of the project was to describe and explain the expert–lay gap in assessing environmental risks in mining areas in order to understand the local risk culture and contribute to the development of a risk communication plan for the affected communities.
The project provided a better scientific understanding of the environmental risks associated with mining activities by assessing the expert–lay gap and generating new insights into the social representation of environmental risks within mining communities. The approach developed through the project established a methodological basis that can be applied in future research in other mining-affected communities.
Through a comprehensive analysis of the territorial and socio-economic context, the local environment, development trends and dynamics, as well as environmental risks, vulnerability and social aspects, the project supported the development of a risk communication framework. This knowledge represents a valuable resource for decision-makers, potential investors and the scientific community.
By examining environmental risk within its broader social and territorial context, the project provided practical knowledge that supports local and regional authorities in risk management and informed decision-making. It also contributed to the development of more effective risk communication approaches and identified capacity-building needs based on an improved understanding of local environmental risks and community perspectives.
The project strengthened Romanian research capacity through interdisciplinary research and knowledge exchange between researchers and mining communities. It also established the basis for future collaborations with national and international researchers, regulatory bodies, industry representatives and other stakeholders.
Finally, the project contributed to the international dissemination of research findings on environmental risks and their social representation, advancing knowledge in an area of broad scientific and societal relevance.
Main Outputs
- Risk communication plan
- 39 in-depth semi-structured interviews
- 292 survey responses
Scientific Publications
Published Papers
- Ştefănescu L., Alexandrescu, F. (2018). Environmental protection or subversion in mining? Planning challenges, perspectives and actors at the largest gold deposit in Europe. Land Use Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.10.011
- Botezan C., Constantin V., Meltzer M., Radovici A., Pop A., Alexandrescu F., Stefanescu L. (2020). Is there Sustainable Development after Mining? A Case Study of Three Mining Areas in the Apuseni Region (Romania). Sustainability, 12, 9791. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239791
- Alexandrescu F., Ștefănescu L., Pop A. (2022). Penumbras of the planetary mine: experiencing (post-) mining transformations in the Western Carpathians of Romania. Eurasian Geography and Economics. https://doi.org/10.1080/15387216.2022.2117716
Conference Contributions
- XIX International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2019, Bulgaria
- Ștefănescu L., Botezan C. S., Radovici A., Meltzer M. (2019). Comparative vulnerability analysis in three mining areas of the Apuseni Mountains (Romania).
- International Seminar on Environment and Society – Current Challenges and Pathways to Change, Lisbon, Portugal (2–3 March 2020)
- Explaining representations of environmental risks in former mining areas: history or perception?
Project Activities
Kick-off Meeting: 18 May 2018 – Cluj-Napoca
The kick-off meeting of the ERMINA project took place at the Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Research Institute for Sustainability and Disaster Management based on High Performance Computing (ISUMADECIP), Cluj-Napoca.
The meeting focused on:
- Introduction of the project team members;
- Overview of the project stages and expected results;
- Planning of the first implementation stage;
- Development of the project website;
- Equipment and software procurement;
- Review of available data sources;
- Planning future project activities.
Field Work: 23–25 July 2018
The first field campaign focused on informing local authorities about the project and identifying the main local stakeholders.
Activities included:
- Meetings with mayors and emergency management representatives;
- Collection of socio-economic information from the study area;
- Visits to major mining infrastructure, including tailings dams, waste heaps, mining facilities and NGO headquarters.
The study area included:
- 3 towns: Baia de Arieș, Abrud and Zlatna;
- 5 communes: Roșia Montană, Bucium, Lupșa, Bistra and Almașu Mare.
The campaign established the first contacts with local stakeholders and prepared the next stages of project implementation.
Field Work: 22–25 April 2019
The second field campaign aimed to investigate local perceptions of environmental risks generated by former and current mining activities.
Main outcomes:
- 34 in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with local residents;
- Collection of qualitative data regarding social representations of environmental risks;
- Site visits to important mining locations, including Roșia Poieni, Baia de Arieș and Roșia Montană.
Field Work: 26 August – 1 September 2019
The third field campaign focused on collecting quantitative data for assessing social representations of environmental risks.
Main outcomes:
- 271 completed questionnaires;
- Community survey on the understanding of environmental risks in mining areas;
- Additional visits to important mining sites within the study area.