Mining is a vital industrial activity, contributing to the global economy and technological advancement. Commercial mining ensures a steady material supply to multiple industries, creates jobs and drives industrial innovation. At the same time, it is associated with a number of challenges for the environment, which is why all legal sites are carefully regulated.
Illegal mining, however, is a pressing concern and a huge environmental hazard because it’s often carried out in protected areas or without proper safety measures to protect workers. Earth observation and custom satellite buses as on https://dragonflyaerospace.com/satellite-buses/ can help alleviate the problem, but only as long as decision-makers and communities worldwide fully understand the adverse illegal mining effects on the environment and society. We’ll describe those in more detail below, explaining why space tech offers an optimal solution to combat this issue.
The definition of illegal mining is broader than one might suppose. It covers a range of either completely illegal activities or partially illegal mining that bypass some law regulations. On a small scale, unregulated mining can deal with gold and diamond extraction in respective mineral-rich areas. On a larger scale, conserved commercial mines could be reopened without legal permits.
A separate case is illegal mining in protected areas, such as national parks and forest reserves. Offshore mining can also happen illegally and, without safety measures, can endanger ecosystems both on land and at sea.
The most obvious hazard of illegal mining is its adverse environmental effects. Unsanctioned mines (or mines reopened after their lawful conservation) cause severe water pollution because mercury and cyanide are often used for mineral extraction. A leak into water bodies can endanger local species and communities, as both chemicals are highly hazardous.
Next, mining, no matter if it’s legal or not, is about clearing the surrounding area for mineral extraction — that is, cutting forests down. In Peru, illegal mining is one of the primary causes of deforestation, among other environmental concerns. Unregulated cutting of trees causes a chain reaction, causing other environmental concerns. Lack of vegetation endangers local fauna, and erodes soil, thus making it unsuitable for further growth, polluting water, air, etc.
On a social level, communities often suffer additional consequences of illegal mining, namely:
● Violation of human rights and work conditions through unfair wages, lack of regulations, and forced labour, including exploitation of children;
● Dangerous working conditions through lack of safety regulations;
● Increase in crime and violence, including human trafficking of unprotected populations, etc.
To prevent any illegal activities, decision-makers should first understand why such problems arise in the first place. The common causes of illegal mining include:
● Poverty or lack of livelihood which makes locals turn to unfair work conditions;
● Weak or corrupt legislation, where proper laws aren’t enforced or are being ignored on the highest level;
● Growing demand for precious minerals like gold or coltan;
● Political or land ownership conflicts because most illegal mining sites arise in areas with weak governance or unclear land tenure systems.
So, preventing illegal mining is not something that can be done once and for all. Combatting this issue requires multiple initiatives, such as:
● Functional law enforcement mechanisms;
● Community involvement;
● Adequate livelihood programs for the unemployed;
● International collaboration to curb black market activity.
And, of course, governments should implement functional technologies to ensure continuous monitoring and close illegal mining sites as they emerge — which is exactly where satellites and advances in bus technology come in.
Satellites can ensure 24/7 monitoring of any area, no matter how remote or inaccessible from land, while a bus is an integral part of any satellite. It is a platform that carries all electronic equipment necessary for the spacecraft to operate and carry out its mission goals. Usually, satellites aimed at preventing illegal activities carry cameras to monitor designed land areas and detect any anomalies as these arise.
More specifically, what are these anomalies, and how satellite buses are used in mining? For example, a sudden change in vegetation or water levels could indicate an illegal mine, which is exactly the type of anomaly modern satellites can easily detect. Right now, the biggest challenge of using satellite tech for monitoring large areas is analyzing this wealth of imagery. However, recent AI advances in satellite bus technology should soon help alleviate this problem because machine algorithms have become exceptionally good at analyzing unstructured information and spotting warming patterns.
By limiting the workload on human analysts, decision-makers can now find cost-effective solutions to combating illegal mining — which is something that should be done asap. Illegal mining is a problem that concerns us all — not only because of its environmental damage but also due to economic disruption and other social factors international communities can no longer afford to ignore. And while space tech alone cannot fully solve this challenge, advances in satellite bus technology can help governments and environmental agencies make more informed decisions on the best practices to mitigate the damage and restore affected areas.
