Environmental impacts caused by the mining operation at the stone pit of gravels San Pedro, Granma, CubaAbstract
Mining activity in Granma Province has gained strategic relevance following the implementation of the National Program for the Local Production of Construction Materials. Within this framework, mineral deposits previously considered of low economic value have become viable resources for both state-owned and non-state producers of construction materials. The San Pedro deposit, located in Granma Province, is currently exploited by open-pit mining, which generates significant environmental impacts and highlights the need for adequate environmental management.
The aim of this study was to determine the environmental impacts caused by the mining activity at the San Pedro deposit and to develop a mitigation plan to reduce its negative effects. The Environmental Impact Assessment methodology established in the guidelines for Environmental License applications was applied. The methodological procedure consisted of seven stages that allowed the identification and classification of the main environmental impacts generated by the mining activity.
The results made possible to identify the most significant environmental impacts produced during the different phases of aggregate extraction and processing, as well as their interaction with the environmental components of the study area. Based on this analysis, a set of mitigation and corrective measures was proposed to improve environmental management and ensure adequate control of environmental factors within the project area and its surroundings.
Keywords:
construction materials; environmental impacts; mining activity; environmental management
Resumo
A atividade de mineração na província de Granma ganhou relevância estratégica após a implementação do Programa Nacional de Produção Local de Materiais de Construção. Nesse contexto, depósitos minerais antes considerados de baixo valor econômico tornaram-se recursos viáveis tanto para produtores estatais quanto para não estatais de materiais de construção. O depósito de San Pedro, localizado na província de Granma, é atualmente explorado por mineração a céu aberto, o que gera impactos ambientais significativos e destaca a necessidade de uma gestão ambiental adequada.
O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar os impactos ambientais causados pela atividade de mineração no depósito de San Pedro e desenvolver um plano de mitigação para reduzir seus efeitos negativos. Foi aplicada a metodologia de Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental estabelecida nas diretrizes para pedidos de licença ambiental. O procedimento metodológico consistiu em sete etapas que permitiram a identificação e classificação dos principais impactos ambientais gerados pela atividade de mineração.
Os resultados permitiram identificar os impactos ambientais mais significativos produzidos durante as diferentes fases de extração e processamento de agregados, bem como a sua interação com os componentes ambientais da área de estudo. Com base nessa análise, foi proposto um conjunto de medidas mitigadoras e corretivas para melhorar a gestão ambiental e garantir o controle adequado dos fatores ambientais na área do projeto e seu entorno.
Palavras-chave:
materiais de construção; impactos ambientais; atividade minerária; gestão ambiental
1. Introduction
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is one of the instruments of management and policy, whose implementation has made possible to introduce significant regulations for protection and sustainable use of natural resources into programmes and projects for works or activities (Llanes Cedeño, 2017), and it has become an important tool for decision-making (Gil, 2018). There is now recognition of the need to carry out EIAs for projects with high environmental risks using more integrated methodologies (Castilla-Gómez and Herrera-Herbert, 2015; Dontala et al., 2015; Salomons, 1995), covering the widest spectrum of failure probabilities, due to the extreme situations caused by global climate change (Sánchez Espinosa, 2010).
In Cuba, the Environment Act and the Mining Act were enacted in response to the principles of Agenda 21. In this regard, EIA was established as one of the fundamental levels of environmental management, and it is mandatory to prevent, minimise or mitigate the negative effects of any activity on the environment (CICA, 2001). There is also a social development programme that involves the extraction of large volumes of construction materials. This programme focused on two basic areas: one developed by the Construction Business Group, and the other based on the work of local governments and small producers, for whom regulations for sustainable exploitation have not yet been established. Therefore, the increase in construction activity and the ways in which materials are obtained require greater control of the impacts generated in the extraction process. Thus, the objective of this research is to determine the environmental impacts generated by mining at the San Pedro deposit and to establish a plan of preventive, corrective and mitigation measures to minimise the negative effects produced.
Numerous studies have been conducted on the environmental impacts of mining activity, including those by Gallardo Martínez et al. (2019a, b). Based on the methodological guide for environmental impact assessment by Conesa Fernández (2000), the authors Jiménez Fernández (2020), Ojeda-Pardo et al. (2025), Fuentes-López et al. (2021), and Rocuts and Amat (2010) conducted a study for the assessment of the mining and environmental impact of mineral deposits in mining companies.
Torres-Batista et al. (2019), Montes de Oca Risco et al. (2018), Mondragón de Jesús et al. (2024), developed procedures for the mining and environmental rehabilitation of mining deposits. Aguilera-Fernández et al. (2016) conducted a study on the visual impact generated by mining at the Punta Gorda deposit in Moa, while Ozcelik (2022) compared the environmental impacts produced in quarries on crushed rock deposits. Finally, Orozco-Martínez and Rodríguez-Gámez (2022) produced a narrative of mining risk through cartography and discourse on the Sonora River in Mexico. Ojeda-Pardo et al. (2022) considered the negative effects on the environment in their work related to the application of tailings theory in the lateritic deposits of northern Holguín. In the procedures reviewed, none were found that relate a methodology to the identification of the main impacts that occur during each phase of the San Pedro quarry exploitation project and its interaction with the different environmental components of the environment (air, soil, water, biota and socio-economic).
2. Material and Methods
To carry out the EIA, the impact assessment method developed by Conesa-Fernández (2000) was analysed, and the 2009 Guide for Completing Environmental Licence Applications and Environmental Impact Studies published by the Centre for Environmental Inspection and Control (CICA, 2001) was taken into account.
The San Pedro gravel quarry is located in Granma Province, eastern Cuba, near the municipality of Jiguaní. The quarry is situated at approximately 20.29° N, 76.19° W and is characterized by alluvial gravel deposits exploited for construction materials. Figure 1 shows the geographical location of the study area.
Geographical location of the San Pedro gravel quarry, Granma Province, Cuba (20.17° N, 76.25° W).
The methodological steps involved in the study were as follows:
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Project Analysis: This stage consisted of describing the project’s physical characteristics, its constituent elements, technology, raw materials, development programs, and the objectives of quarry exploitation;
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Definition of the Study Area and Environmental Diagnosis: The study area corresponds to the spatial extent in which interactions were analysed, representing the portion of the environment that interacts with the project;
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Identification of Actions: Actions are the triggering causes of environmental impacts. Their magnitude, flow, and spatial distribution must be defined. Actions are distinguished according to the moment in which they occur, allowing differentiation among the project’s development phases;
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Identification of Environmental Factors Susceptible to Being Impacted: Environmental factors are the components of the environment—elements, attributes, and processes—that may be affected by the project. The identification of affected environmental factors was performed using the same methodology applied in the determination of actions;
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Impact Identification and Prediction: At this stage, the impacts generated by project execution are determined and the nature of project–environment interactions is predicted. The outcome is an identification matrix obtained through an expert-based approach involving specialists and the analysis of comparative scenarios.
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Impact Assessment: This stage involved the characterization of the identified impacts and their qualitative evaluation through interactions with the environmental factors;
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Development of the Mitigation and Corrective Measures Plan: These measures consist of modifications or additions to the project intended to avoid, reduce, modify, or compensate for the project’s effects on the environment. The entire process is shown in Figure 2.
Environmental impact classification criteria:
Environmental impacts were qualitatively classified into four categories: high, moderate, low, and not significant, according to the magnitude of the disturbance caused by each project activity, its spatial extent, and the duration of the effect on the environmental components (soil, surface and groundwater, air, flora, and fauna). The assignment of categories in the environmental impact matrix was based on expert evaluation and the analysis of the interactions between project actions and environmental factors. This classification allowed the identification of the most relevant impacts and facilitated the definition of appropriate mitigation measures.
Additionally, runoff intensity was classified into three levels, according to precipitation thresholds:
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High runoff: > 60 mm/day
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Moderate runoff: 20–60 mm/day
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Low runoff: < 20 mm/day
This classification supported the qualitative evaluation of environmental impacts and the identification of appropriate mitigation measures for each project phase.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Project analysis
Investigations were carried out with the current concession holder, Brigade No. 5 of the Granma Construction and Assembly Company, the National Office of Mineral Resources, and the Eastern Geomining Company to determine the current exploitation status of the quarry. This quarry belongs to the Bayamo Formation and is composed of sands, gravels, and pebbles mixed with sandy clays or clayey sands; it overlies the Cauto Formation. Its age corresponds to the Upper Pleistocene–Lower Pleistocene, with a thickness ranging from 10 to 100 m.
The material is extracted using different technologies—mainly manual methods, loaders, backhoes, and crawler tractors—depending on the available resources and the characteristics of the raw material. The extracted products are used as road base and sub-base layers, ballast and sub-ballast, gravel, fill material, filter sands, and plastering sands in construction. Non-compliance with the environmental regulations established in the mining project has resulted in inadequate rehabilitation of the exploited land once mining operations are completed.
3.2. Scope definition and environmental assessment
During the field inspection of the area, several locations within the concession were identified as being illegally used by the non-state sector. This situation has not been effectively controlled by the primary concession holder, and the environmental management actions implemented to date have not been systematically applied across the entire area in question.
3.3. Identification of actions
The main actions likely to generate environmental impacts were identified: equipment transportation or movement, land clearing and raw material uncovering, excavation, excavation and loading, transportation, raw material processing, and the storage and commercialization of aggregates (Table 1).
Environmental impacts were evaluated using a qualitative scoring system based on the criteria character, disturbance, importance, occurrence, spatial extension, duration, and reversibility, each rated on a three-level scale (1 = low, 2 = moderate, 3 = high). The character of the impact was represented by +1 (beneficial) or –1 (adverse). The weighted value was obtained by summing the scores of all criteria.
Based on this value, impacts were classified as A (high), M (moderate), B (low), and C (very low or negligible).
3.4. Identification of environmental factors susceptible to impact
The environment in which the project was developed is composed of interrelated elements and processes belonging to the abiotic, biotic, perceptual, and socioeconomic subsystems (Conesa Fernández, 2000). Based on the identified actions, the environmental components subject to impacts were determined: soil, atmosphere, geomorphology, surface waters, flora, fauna, and the social environment.
3.5. Impact identification and prediction
The following impacts on environmental factors were identified: alteration of surface water quality, deterioration of air quality, modification of landform morphology, job creation, loss of vegetation cover, displacement of species due to increased noise levels, impacts on public health, and contributions to the local economy (Table 2).
3.6. Impact assessment
At this stage, the identified impacts were characterized and a qualitative assessment was carried out based on their interaction with the environmental factors. Transportation activities contribute significantly to soil compaction, as well as to the release of dust, gases, and particulate matter into the environment, along with potential spills of oils, fuels, and lubricants. The proposed corrective measures include maintaining the roads used on a permanent basis by applying water through tanker trucks to help reduce atmospheric contamination caused by dust emissions.
Land clearing activities are carried out mechanically using construction equipment such as bulldozers or backhoes. The affected environmental factors include soil, landform, flora, fauna, and vegetation. The impacts generated by this activity are determined by the removal of the topsoil layer and the transformation of the landscape, leading to habitat loss, mortality of native species, reduced refuge, nesting, and feeding capacity, changes in surface water quality, and a decrease in existing vegetation cover.
The proposed corrective measure consists of rehabilitating or recultivating the area once the project is completed and preventing the creation of bare surfaces during the over-excavation phase.
For excavation activities, the affected factors (geomorphology, soil, and air) produce an associated impact defined by landscape alterations and potential spills of oils, lubricants, and fuels. The corrective measure involves maintaining equipment in proper technical condition and ensuring that construction and transport machinery are not serviced within the extraction area to prevent fuel, oil, and lubricant spills. In the raw material processing stage, the factors affected are water and the surrounding population. The impacts include dust emissions into the atmosphere and noise generated by tractors and trucks. The corrective measure proposed involves the use of covers or enclosures to prevent particle dispersion. During raw material stockpiling, the factors affected are soil and landform. The main impact is the increased availability of raw material for local construction material production. The proposed corrective measure is the reforestation or recultivation of the area used. In the commercialization of aggregates, the associated environmental factor is the social environment. This activity contributes to personal income generation and supports the growth of the local economy.
The identified environmental impacts in this study—such as dust emissions, soil disturbance, noise, and landscape alteration—are consistent with recent evidence from comparable quarry operations, which report elevated particulate matter levels, changes in water quality, and habitat disruption around mining sites (Mohamed et al., 2023; Kafu-Quvane et al., 2024). While the qualitative assessment provides insight into the types of impacts present, the absence of quantitative magnitude and comparison with thresholds or reference conditions limits the ability to prioritize impacts and evaluate their relative severity, as highlighted in contemporary environmental impact literature (Mohamed et al., 2023).
3.7. Mitigation and corrective measures plan
The action plan was developed considering the negative environmental impacts, such as changes in surface water quality, which is treated as a primary action through the implementation of surface water monitoring. Impacts on air quality are addressed by ensuring adherence to equipment and transport maintenance schedules, and the use of filtration systems to reduce emissions generated by engine combustion. Another measure involves increasing the moisture level of roads during the extraction process. Regarding worker health, management actions include technical maintenance of equipment and vehicles, as well as protection of workers’ hearing through the use of appropriate personal protective equipment. To mitigate impacts on public health, operations include road wetting before, during, and after the extraction process, and maintaining air quality monitoring in the study area. For landform alteration, it is considered necessary to rehabilitate the extraction site by leveling the terrain throughout the entire process, eliminating waterlogging, steep slopes, and overhangs that could cause accidents during and after material extraction (Table 3).
Considering the negative environmental impacts, such as changes in surface water quality, a primary action is the implementation of surface water monitoring. Impacts on air quality are addressed by ensuring compliance with equipment and transport maintenance schedules, and by using filtration systems to reduce emissions generated by engine combustion. Another action involves increasing the moisture level of roads during the extraction process (Table 3).
The mitigation strategies proposed—such as dust control via road wetting, maintenance schedules, and rehabilitation of disturbed areas—align with approaches documented to reduce environmental pressures in quarry contexts (Saleem and Ayalew, 2025). However, recent studies emphasize that effectiveness depends on ongoing monitoring, performance evaluation, and the integration of adaptive management practices, which were not fully detailed in the current plan (Saleem and Ayalew, 2025).
The proposed mitigation measures are consistent with recent studies that emphasize the importance of dust control, progressive rehabilitation, and continuous environmental monitoring to reduce the impacts of aggregate extraction in sensitive environments, contributing to a more sustainable management of mining operations (Farez-Atiencia et al., 2025).
4. Conclusion
The results of this study allowed the identification of the main environmental impacts generated during the different phases of the San Pedro quarry exploitation project and their interactions with the environmental components of the study area. The most significant negative impacts were associated with air quality, surface water quality, and landform alteration resulting from aggregate extraction and processing activities.
The implementation of the proposed mitigation and corrective measures contributes to reducing these impacts and improving environmental management in the project area. Additionally, the rehabilitation of the extraction site represents a key action for restoring landforms and improving landscape conditions in the exploited areas.
Overall, the application of the proposed methodology provides a useful tool for identifying and managing environmental impacts associated with quarry operations, supporting better environmental management of construction material extraction activities.
Data Availability Statement
The data from this research may be requested from the principal author by sending a letter explaining the reasons for the request.
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Edited by
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Editor:
Takako Matsumura Tundisi
