Remote Sensing Monitoring of Ecological-Economic Impacts in the Belt and Road Initiatives Mining Project: A Case Study in Sino Iron and Taldybulak Levoberezhny

• Published in: Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 14; no. 14; p. 3308
• Main Authors: Jiang, Yue, Lin, Wenpeng, Wu, Mingquan, Liu, Ke, Yu, Xumiao, Gao, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2022
• Subjects: Coal mining; Construction; Consumption; Cooperation; Developing countries; Ecological effects; ecological environment; Ecological monitoring; Economic development; Economic growth; Economic impact; Economics; Electric power; Environmental governance; Environmental impact; Environmental management; Environmental protection; GDP; Green development; Gross Domestic Product; Image resolution; Initiatives; Iron; Landsat; LDCs; Mineral resources; Mines; Project evaluation; Raw materials; Remote monitoring; Remote sensing; remote sensing monitoring; Roads; Roads & highways; Satellite imagery; Social change; socio-economic; Socioeconomics; surface mining; Sustainable development; the belt and road initiatives; Topography; Vegetation; China
• ISSN: 2072-4292; 2072-4292
• DOI: 10.3390/rs14143308

Under the Belt and Road Initiatives, China’s overseas cooperation in constructing mining projects has developed rapidly. The development and utilization of mining resources are essential requirements for socio-economic development. At the same time, the ecological impacts of the exploitation and utilization of mining resources have increasingly aroused the widespread concern of the international community. This paper uses Landsat images, high-resolution images, and nighttime light (NTL) data to remotely monitor Sino Iron in Australia and Taldybulak Levoberezhny in Kyrgyzstan in different development periods to provide a reference for the rational development of mineral resources and environmental management. The results show that the Chinese enterprises have achieved good results in the ecological protection of the mining area during the construction period. The development of the mine has caused minor damage to the surrounding environment and has not destroyed the local natural ecological pattern. The different NTL indices show an overall rising trend, indicating that the construction of mines has dramatically promoted the socio-economic development of countries along the Belt and Road in both time and space. Therefore, relevant departments should practice green development in overseas projects, establish a scientific mine governance system, and promote a win-win economic growth and environmental governance situation.