Project description and results
The CresConSMin pilot project addresses the significant environmental impact of former mining activities in Petrila and the surrounding areas. Over 300 hectares of agricultural land have been affected by tailings dumps, leading to soil degradation, heavy metal pollution, landslides, and risks to nearby communities.
To tackle these challenges, the project carried out several key activities:
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Pre-diagnosis of soil quality to assess contamination levels and determine the land’s potential for future use (e.g., agriculture, urban development, renewable energy).
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Stakeholder mapping (sociogram) to identify key actors, their roles, and their influence to build a strong local network and support the signing of a Territorial Management Agreement.
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Two stakeholder workshops.
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Engagement of expert partners who provided technical input and supported the signing of the Territorial Management Agreement.
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Assessment of replication potential for applying this model in other post-mining regions.
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Final reporting to document results, outcomes, and recommendations for future action.
PARTNERS
With a solid background in soil health research and a history of participation in relevant policy initiatives, CresConSMin relies on two primary partner organisations: the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, and the Jiu Valley Social Institute Association, to advance the idea of best practices in the Jiu Valley's sustainable development. These partners come together to form a powerful consortium with an extensive variety of scientific knowledge in soil health. The consortium's scientific competence is complemented by partners focused on citizen science and soil health implementation, as well as policy development organisations. Consequently, recognizing the importance of cross-sector collaboration, the project consortium was enhanced by the inclusion of strategic partners with valuable expertise. These partners actively supported the pilot and endorsed its goals by signing the Territorial Management Agreement.
Meet our Team
National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest
PROJECT Manager
Diana M.COCÂRȚĂ
Senior Researcher
Irina A. ISTRATE
Lecturer at National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, and since 2023 is the manager of the Competence Center for Soil Health and Food Safety.
Environmental protection research engineer
Constantin STRECHE
Engineer and senior researcher at the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest.
Expert in soil remediation
Rusalina LUPU
PhD student in contaminated sites at POLITEHNICA Bucharest and Environmental Consultant at ERM.
Assistant researcher
Andra M. LÄ‚CUREANU
Scientific research assistant within the Laboratory for Analysis, Control, and Remediation of Soils (Research Center CAMPUS) and a PhD student at the Faculty of Energy Engineering - the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest.
Jiu Valley Social Institute Association
Project manager partner AISVJ
Emilia C.DUNCA
Assoc. professor in Environmental Engineering in Mining at University of Petrosani; member of AISVJ (since 2014), and since 2023 is the manager of the specific project P2 of the Competence Center for Soil Health and Food Safety.
Senior researcher
Sabina IRIMIE
President of AISVJ, professor in Human Resources Management and Ergonomics at Petrosani University, with concerns on transition issues (TRACER and JUSTEM project manager)
Senior researcher
Gloria POPESCU
Public relations specialist with engineering studies and professional interests in the field of transition (energy, environment and technology)
Assistant researcher
Mădălina F. IONIȚĂ
Scientific research assistant at AISVJ, with a PhD in Oil and Gas Mines (University of Petrosani), critically studying the situation of tailings dumps in the Jiu Valley area.
CresConSMin
Funded by the European Union
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program, under Grant Agreement No101091050. © HUMUS.
This website reflects only the authors' view - the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.