PROJECT OUTCOMES
Research Articles
Svobodova, K. (2023). Navigating community transitions away from mining. Nature Energy, 1-4.
The shift away from mining presents substantial livelihood security challenges for mining communities, but documented mining closures offer insights into how to ensure a successful transition. Secure community transitions require support from governments in the form of proactive planning, locally led collaborative responses and targeted investments.
Svobodova, K., Plieninger, T., & Sklenicka, P. (2023). Place re‐making and sense of place after quarrying and social‐ecological restoration. Sustainable Development.
Rapid urbanization increases pressure on extracting construction materials through
quarrying, which is disrupting and re-making places worldwide. In this study, we
examine how people's place making and sense of place are reconfigured through
quarrying. Taking a case study approach, we investigate perceptions of sense of place
after quarrying and social-ecological restoration in a limestone region of the
Czech Republic.
Blog Articles
From geodata to dialogue: the transformative power of PPGIS in mining
Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) combine the power of local knowledge and geographic information systems, providing place-specific information about where the bonds between people and places are.
Turning mined lands into beautiful places: the aesthetics of ecological restoration
What happens to surface mining areas when mining activities are finished? How can these strongly inaccessible places turn into landscapes that actually appeal to people and contribute to their wellbeing? Ecological restoration may be a valuable option.
CESMINE: Towards Positive Post-Mining Legacies
Closed mines are being transformed — some into farms and new woodlands, others into tourist attractions, cultural venues or impressive renewable energy sites. As mine rehabilitation and repurposing are a relatively new phenomenon, little is known about the social and cultural benefits that post-mining sites provide to local and wider communities.
What to Do after Mine Closure? Pursuing Community Benefits in the Transition to Post-Mining
Mining represents a particularly intense way of human intervention in landscapes, with immense impacts on regional economy, culture and social life. Our new team member Kamila Svobodova provides insights into her social-ecological research on post-mining sites around the world.