The concept of multi-criteria mineral resources protection

The author deals with a complex, multi-criteria system of protection of mineral resources, based on the evaluation of their deposits, both with identified and inferred reserves, and perspective areas, i.e., the areas where mineral deposits may occur. The purpose of valorization is to compare different deposits using the same, uniform criteria, and then assign them to particular groups with the intention of protecting the most valuable deposits and highly perspective areas more efficiently. The criteria represent three separate groups: geological and mining assets, the level of certainty (the degree of our knowledge on the mineral raw material and its deposit), as well as environmental and spatial planning constraints. Inclusion of the prognostic areas (the D₁ category of resources in Poland) to the procedure of deposit valorization forms the basis for their legal protection, especially when they have not been protected until now.