Environmental-Li Data Viewer. A virtual platform to condense and systematize socio-environmental information related to the exploitation of lithium in Jujuy

VAIRA, MARCOS; VARGAS RODRÍGUEZ, NELLY; LUPO, LILIANA; PACHECO, SILVIA; KULEMEYER, JULIO JOSÉ; BENÍTEZ, JUAN BAUTISTA

S. S. de Jujuy

Workshop; IWLiME 2016: 3rd International Workshop on Lithium, Industrial Minerals and Energy; 2016

Universidad Nacional de Jujuy y Celimin

All new territorial interventions as a result of human activities, as well as extensions of existing interventions, should be subject to an independent and robust Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which must include a consideration of the full range of species and habitats present on site, as well as in the surrounding area -and the impacts upon them- including those directs and indirects, as well as cumulative impacts caused in combination with other nearest interventions. However, the potential for complex synergistic or antagonistic interactions between multiple territorial interventions presents one of the largest uncertainties when predicting social and environmental impacts of those interventions.This crucial information gap emerge usually in most EIA, impeding to better co-ordinate the location or management of territorial interventions operated by different companies. Such kind of cumulative impacts are often overlooked by governments, companies and even researchers involved in site-level surveys and impact assessments. If not adequately addressed, significant damage may be caused to environment, as well as to local population and stakeholder relations, the company?s reputation, and finally the long-term viability of a particular territorial intervention. Conversely, by considering the wealth of information produced by researchers and mining companies, there are opportunities for operators, companies and regulators to make valuable and high profile contributions to environmental conservation, whilst also helping to safeguard their own reputation. This is a common problem despite vast amounts of data, large-scale scientific assessments, and specific documentation that are increasingly produced that can inform and guide most EIA. Most data and documentation are often hard to access and are thus overlooked.There is a need for a tool that allows communication, transfer, and accessibility of information turning vast amounts of data and information into outputs that academic groups, science?policy interfaces, policy makers, funders, governments, corporations, businesses, industry, public, and the media can use effectively.Newly developments in software and web technologies facilitate to set-up exploratory web applications, linking scientific data within an interactive tool intended to make information accessible and to ensure that we can explore and communicate scientific data in appropriate ways. Geographical and environmental data viewers can be useful tools for the development of research, EIA, and territorial intervention studies. Being web viewers, it not depends on heavy software such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) platforms. They are designed so that virtually anyone can handle them and dive among their contents, without prior knowledge of geoinformatics. The user can view and interact in a simple way to access and obtain information.We propose to develop and implement a virtual data platform (Environmental-Li DataViewer) to condense and systematize environmental and social information generated by the different actors involved in the sector of extractive process of lithium in Jujuy province (researchers, state, industry) which in turn make it available to stakeholders. Our approach is intended to strengthen consultation and transfer of information in an interactive, dynamic, and engaging way, to become a technical tool to the various areas that we need to integrate to develop territorial interventions in a sustainable environmental context. Concomitantly, we propose the generation and systematization of new information to provide baseline information for specific studies or monitoring (e.g. control of small-scale areas with associated geological risks, or characterization of environmental risk areas). Establishing procedures for continuous updating of the Environmental-Li Data Viewer, we expect to provide users of this tool better support, backed on reliable data, to proper decision making in the planning and implementation of projects, as well as the promotion of interaction of public and private sectors.We expect to display an offer the information generated, to avoid repeated indefinitely inventory activities, censuses, lists and surveys; but also to share, integrate, transfer, and add information into a common and dynamic database to provide stakeholders with socio-environmental information based on scientific and technical bases, helping to the development of territorial interventions in a context of environmental sustainability.We also propose to extend the application of this tool tending to be replicated to other regions and to other territorial interventions.