Sustainability Risk Management from Space Due-diligence processes require acquisition and comprehension of accurate data, covering large areas to inform the risks of the transaction, usually under significant time constraints. Communication of the findings must also be succinct. We discuss how satellite imagery and bow-tie analyses help achieve these objectives.

1. Teresa Steele-Schober & Laura Mallabone
Sustainability Risk Management from Space

2. Project Key Challenges
How do you determine the social risks around a mine located in
an area you’ve never visited, across a geographical footprint of
800km2 with only 2 days in the field?
You go into space!
And then present your findings in a succinct manner to
executives who are on a tight deadline to make a decision.
You use pictures – a bow-tie in this case.

3. Understanding Artisanal and Small-scale
mining (ASM)
 Many drivers for communities to engage in ASM activity:
 Fairly low input costs
 Rapid return on effort vs farming
 Can generate income during the dry season
 The whole family can generate an income
 Legal provisions to regulate ASM exist in many countries
 However enforcement is usually weak
 Many do not attempt to comply with these requirements
 ASM communities track commercial exploration activities
 Mining areas open and expand rapidly
 Communities can become violent if their livelihoods are
threatened
 Often well organised with supply chains which are dependent on
the miners

4. Client’s brief
Evaluate the social risks at a gold mine in West
Africa:
Artisanal and small scale mining (ASM)
Proximity of communities to mining operations
Access routes
Social licence to operate
Systems, procedures and budgets to manage
social risks

5. Challenges to overcome
 ASM activity is not always immediately obvious on a
satellite image
 Different methods based on commodity, locality and mining method
 Time limitations impeded on-the-ground visits to all areas
and all communities
 How to estimate the extent of community impacts including possible
resettlements?
 Social issues are complex to understand and communicate
 How to present this Client’s ExCo who needs to make a rapid, well-informed
decision?

6. Project Team
Technical & PM Team
Project Location
Geo-spatial and
Risk Teams

7. Timeline
11 Feb 2016
• Appointed
by client
11 – 20 Feb
• Document
review
• Satellite
image
purchase
• Logistics
23 – 25 Feb
• Site visit
in-country
• First draft
report
• Target ASM
site
verification
3 March 2016
• Final
report
submitted
• Client
makes
decision

8. Using the satellites
Define target area
 Consider mine plan, where to spend money on best
quality images
 Total site area is 800km2
 Commercially available images – no time to order
Decide how many images to buy
 ASM communities move and grow quickly
 A snapshot at one point in time therefore isn’t enough
Procure best quality, latest images
 Taking into account need for time difference

9. Selecting image target area
Town
Town
Town
Area
covered by
the
commercial
satellites

10. First image acquired
 March 2013
 Dry season
 Suspected artisanal
mining activity
 Commercial satellite
image
 50cm resolution
Mining License Area – “Before” Satellite Image Pre-2013

11. Second image
acquired
 December 2015
 Wet season
 Mine infrastructure
evident
 Access roads
 Potential ASM sites
 Commercial satellite
image
 50cm resolution
Mining License Area – “Before” Satellite Image Pre-2013
Mining License Area – “After” Satellite Image December 2015

12. Planning for site visit
 In order to accurately map the ASM locations, ground
truthing of suspected ASM sites would be required.
 Target locations were determined from document review.
 Hand held GPS (plus spare batteries!) would be used to
confirm locations identified by Terrabotics.
 Target areas for site inspection planned.

13. Planned Commercial Mining Zone Interrogation of the
images allowed
planning of areas to
be visited when on
site.
 Focus on current
Life of Mine plan.
 Possible ASM
locations identified
by observing
changes between
the 2013 and 2015
images and known
locations of mineral
deposits.
Satellite image courtesy of Airbus D&S Plc. Map layers Terrabotics Ltd, Copyright 2016

14.  2013 Image
 Suspected ASM
localities
determined

15. New
activity
Expanded
Community
Excavation activity
Satellite image courtesy of Airbus D&S Plc. Map layers Terrabotics Ltd, Copyright 2016
 2015 image showed
new activity.
 Evidence of
structures and
excavations.
 Signs of new ASM
activity.

16. New
activity
New
activity
Satellite image courtesy of Airbus D&S Plc. Map layers Terrabotics Ltd, Copyright 2016
 Ground truth team
verified suspected
activity.
 Information used to
refine the search for
further target areas.

17. Site evidence
Open pit workings Mounds of mined material

18. Site evidence
Shaft infrastructure

19. Suspected Artisanal Mining Sites Identified from Satellite Image Analysis Based on evidence
from ground truth
visits the total ASM
risk across the
project area was
determined.
 Focus on immediate
future mining areas.
 Traffic light colour
coding used to
reflect levels of
confidence.

20. Community Proximity and Safety
 Our client was concerned about the proximity of communities to
current and future mining areas.
 Risks of community safety due to mining activities and access
roads also a concern.
 Previous protests by ASM in the area raised the risk of possible
future interruptions to production if similar situation arises again.
 An estimated number of households requiring possible
resettlement was needed.
 We developed a heat map to represent the concentration of
households around these pit areas.

21. Community Safety Risk
 500m buffer around
current and planned
infrastructure
mapped.
 Concentration of
households
delineated using
heat map.
 Clearly identified the
approximate
number of
households possibly
requiring
resettlement.
Satellite image courtesy of Airbus D&S Plc. Map layers Terrabotics Ltd, Copyright 2016

22. Site Access Risk
 One main access
route from main
town to mine site.
 Remote mining
areas need access
to processing plant.
 High risk of
production
interruptions if
there are
community or ASM
protests.
Satellite image courtesy of Airbus D&S Plc. Map layers Terrabotics Ltd, Copyright 2016

23. Presenting the findings
 Sustainability risks are complex.
 Many causes and possible consequences.
 Client needed to understand how the mine was
managing the various risks and where there were
gaps.
 Needed a mechanism to present a large amount of
information comprehensively and succinctly.

24. Using a BowTie Dashboard

25. Tips and Tricks
 Don’t spend too much time working out what should go in the middle of your
bow-tie
 start with an idea and then refine it as you work through the bow-tie as a whole.
 Focus on your consequences first (to ensure the risk is something that you
actually care about).
 Move between the different parts of the bow-tie, continually refining it
rather than trying to perfect one section before moving onto another
 it is an iterative tool.
 Feel free to add data where you have it and flex the tool to suit your needs.
 Use colours to highlight areas of interest to the reader. This therefore
appears to individuals who like to skim read the tool to gain insight; but also
to those who like to see the detail.

26. Stability Forum
Arranged visits for ASM to
site to foster awareness
and dispel misconceptions
of large-scale mining.
Voluntarily paid
compensation for
improvements by ASM
ASM
Activity
Low skills & education levels
mean few main-stream job
opportunities
PROACTIVECONTROLS
REACTIVECONTROLS
Need to generate additional,
immediate income
• Dry season
• School fees etc
Geology makes access realistic
for ASM
Alternative livelihoods (e.g.
farming) considered less
lucrative, less reliable and
strenuous
Supporting Structures exist
• Buyers present in the
community.
• Supply chains for more
advanced sites (e.g. Kao)
• Creates spin-off local
businesses e.g. shops,
prostitutes etc.
Work with NGO “Bring
back the children” who
work to return children to
school from ASM areas.
Increasing Local
recruitment &
transparency through
CLC
Monitoring ASM activity at
various pits
Establishing and
maintaining good
relationships with ASM
and villages
Implement Community
development projects
Impede access to land
Inability to fulfil sales
agreements
Increased tensions with local
communities
Disruptions to exploration
programme/s
Staff retrenchment
Injury to mine personnel /
communities
Damages to company property
Reduced social license to
operate
Reduced revenue
Disruptions to business from
protest action
Increased local unemployment
Grievance Management
process
Request assistance
from CLC
Funding of 20 police
officers on the mine
Government response
force (ONASSIM)
© SATARLA 2015 www.satarla.com
RISK BOW-TIECAUSES
CONSEQUENCES
Restricted land access for
women – only through
husband / his family
Government does not restrict
ASM - unless requested by
mining company
Reduced CDP spending
Insurance claims from impacted
parties
Appealing lifestyle benefits
Census to understand ASM
populations
ASM Strategy
Business Continuity
Management Plan

27. Relocate communities
within 500m health and
safety perimeter of mine
areas and haul roads
Community
Safety
Communitiies reside 250m
from main mine area at pit
PROACTIVECONTROLS
REACTIVECONTROLS
Communities residing adjacent
to main access roads to mine –
no buffer
No secondary community
access road to avoid mine-
related traffic.
Current road signs inadequate
to mitigate community interface
with mine traffic
20 full time police officers
funded by the mine are present
to manage mine safety issues.
These officers are armed.
Detailed mine Traffic
Management Plan for
access and haul roads
Designate buffer around
haul roads
Community awareness
programme in respect of
mine traffic
Create secondary,
alternative community
access routes
Mine access prevented by
blockades from protesting
communities
Interruptions to business
continuity – reduced revenue
Claims for health impacts
related to living near mine e.g.
lung diseases
Increased tensions with local
communities
Disruptions to exploration
programme/s
Staff retrenchment / reduced
local employment
Injury to mine personnel /
community members
Damages to company property
from protest action
Reduced social license to
operate
Increased local unemployment
Grievance Management
process
CLC subcommittees
Funding of 20 police
officers on the mine
Government response
force (ONASSIM)
© SATARLA 2015 www.satarla.com
RISK BOW-TIECAUSES
CONSEQUENCES
New planned haul roads to
remote pits do not have a
designated buffer zone around
them therefore communities will
continue to be impacted by
mine traffic and future mining
activities.
Communities rely on foot /
motorbike and bicycles for
transport
Reduced CDP spending
Insurance claims from impacted
parties
Some communities which
could be impacted by
resettlement are divided in their
support for Alumni.
Business Continuity
Management Plan
Mine management to
reside closer to site

28. Broader application of our approach
 Critical success factor was integrating specialists with different
skills and backgrounds:
 Sustainability, mining, geo-spatial and risk.
 Satellite imagery saves time and money in many applications:
 Life of mine planning – predicting upcoming risks
 Pollution plume tracking and management
 Business continuity plans – delineate high risk and impact areas,
plan alternative access routes, predict possible conflict areas,
determine refuge areas.
 Liability determination e.g. based on impact zones, pollution
plumes etc.

29. Broader application of our approach
 BowTie dashboards can communicate any risk
 Additional enhancements include status of control implementation,
monitoring requirements, risk ratings.
 Control owners can be included to ensure effective implementation
of controls.
 Due to our time constraints the Bowties were not workshopped.
Ideally multiple disciplines would compile the bowtie to ensure
completeness.

30. Conclusion
 Understanding sustainability risks early on is critical for all
businesses.
 Obtaining the relevant information usually takes time and money.
 Using satellite imagery to understand these risks reduces both.
 Not all sustainability issues are immediately obvious.
 On the ground verification increases confidence in image
interrogation.
 Bowtie dashboards help communicate complex issues in an easy to
understand format.

31. THANK YOU
Teresa Steele-Schober
teresa@uvuna.com
Laura Mallabone Sarah Gordon
laura@satarla.com sarah@satarla.com
Gareth Morgan