Anabela Veiga

The mineral resources sector has faced intense social and environmental scrutiny in recent years, often driven by a perceived lack of information and transparency regarding projects. Due to a perceived lack of information and transparency regarding projects, local communities have increasingly opposed them, leading to the revision of the Portuguese Decree-Law Nº. 30/2021, which now mandates public clarification sessions for communities in affected territories. This study reviews the state of the art concerning socio-environmental conflicts and analyses the role of social awareness within the context of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). A survey was conducted in the parish of Alqueidão da Serra (Central Portugal), a community historically exposed to stone extraction, to assess perceptions of sustainability and the sector’s impact. The methodology combined the literature review with a statistical analysis of the population’s views. Results indicate that the community recognises both the economic relevance and necessity of the sector, while simultaneously expressing concerns regarding local impacts. In this context, an exploratory Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) tendency is identified in 45 ± 6% of the population, with women showing a greater propensity. The study concludes that socio-environmental issues are the primary drivers of conflict. These findings support recommendations for enhanced population sensitivity studies and structured public clarification sessions to mitigate conflict.

Pretedem-se apresentar, neste artigo, os resultados obtidos através da aplicação da técnica de Focus Group num processo de participação pública e envolvimento da comunidade local dos municípios de Leiria, Ferreira do Zêzere e Ourém no âmbito do projeto CLIMRisk - “Medidas de adaptação às alterações climáticas na gestão dos riscos naturais e Ambientais”. A metodologia utilizada consistiu na discussão de temas de riscos naturais com grupos de trabalho (GT) heterogéneos de até 10 pessoas, representativos da comunidade local. Foram preparadas três sessões por grupo. A informação recolhida nas sessões foi categorizada, codificada e analisada com recurso à ferramenta de análise de dados qualitativos webQDA. Este estudo permitiu identificar as principais preocupações e o nível de envolvimento dos participantes, levando a uma melhor compreensão dos riscos naturais e das medidas de adaptação como contributo para a constituição de materiais de divulgação adequados à população em geral a que se destinam, nomeadamente de um Glossário, de um Manual de Boas Práticas, de um jogo didático e de marcadores de livros.

We have conducted a study with higher level education students, in lecture classes of three Undergraduate Courses and one Professional Higher Technical Course that involved six different subjects with a total of 324 students. In this research the use of Game-Based Learning platform was analysed in order to encourage the students’ participation, increasing motivation and keeping them motivated and committed during lessons, therefore, increasing their learning skills. Based on these results, we recommend that Kahoot is used in lectures in order to help students develop their performances and abilities and at the same time be more successful and prepared to have an active participation in society.