Abstract
M.Sc.
South Africa is a country with huge developmental challenges. In Africa, it is one of the few countries that have really incorporated the concepts of the information society into the fundamental reconstruction and development process. Appropriate political commitment, policy frameworks and legislation have largely been established to provide the environment in which effective information management can develop and information can be made widely available for democratic management of the country (MacDevette, 1998).
It is within this framework that the development of Environmental Information Systems (EISs) for industry is taking place. The mining industry is no exception. As one of South Africa’s largest employers and natural resources users, the mining industry through its activities creates numerous environmental impacts. These environmental impacts, together with relevant legislation, sustainability reporting and international environmental standards, require mining management to capture and analyse large quantities of environmental data. The management and analysis of such data and its transformation into information requires an active environmental management strategy.
It is the aim of this thesis to determine how and possibly why an Environmental Information System (EIS) can influence environmental strategy in the mining industry. Furthermore, to ascertain if mine size played a role in determining environmental strategy through the implementation and use of an EIS. In order to answer this question an electronic survey was emailed to the environmental managers at all of the mines within South Africa’s geographical boundaries.
The results of the survey indicated that larger mines place more emphasis on ensuring that EISs can meet corporate environmental requirements, by ensuring that the required environmental parameters of an effective EIS are in place. It was concluded that implementation and use of an effective environmental information system would help meet the challenge of corporate environmental strategy within the South African mining industry.