Author(s)

I. Dias Sardinha, J. Carolino, I. Mendes & P. Verga Matos

Abstract

Although rehabilitation of brownfields is an expensive undertaking, it can also be seen as a valuable initiative for promoting both local and global sustainable socioeconomic development. As such, it can go beyond law-abiding practices in general, and become a domain of corporate or governmental social responsibility. The success of this kind of initiatives depends on the commitment of local authorities and other stakeholders, as well as from an understanding of the intrinsic environmental, social and economic value created. In Portugal, the state granted to EDM the concession to design and implement environmental rehabilitation projects and to promote the socio-economic enhancement of areas spoiled by earlier mining. This paper presents the REHMINE research project aiming the designing of a conceptual and methodological framework for establishing the threefold value induced by EDM’s intervention at the Portuguese São Domingos abandoned mine. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the project will apply environmental, social and economic valuation methods, namely Life Cycle Assessment, Landscape Ethnography, Contingent Analysis and Multi Criteria Analysis to the value induced of mine rehabilitation in an integrated way. Keywords: rehabilitation of abandoned mines, social responsibility, REHMINE research project, life cycle assessment, landscape ethnography, contingent valuation, multi criteria analysis.

Keywords

rehabilitation of abandoned mines, social responsibility, REHMINEresearch project, life cycle assessment, landscape ethnography, contingentvaluation, multi criteria analysis