Mining Impacts on Communities: A Systematic Review of Social, Economic, Environmental, Territorial, and Health Dimensions

Mining plays a central role in global development, but its benefits are often accompanied by significant social, economic, environmental, territorial, and health-related impacts on affected communities. This study aimed to identify, organize, and synthesize the main impacts of mining on communities through a systematic literature review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines. The search was carried out in the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) Journal Portal, covering the period from 2009 to 2024, and resulted in 57 eligible empirical studies. Data were extracted, organized, and synthesized through thematic analysis and structured binary coding of impact indicators. The results showed that mining impacts are widely distributed across multiple dimensions, with economic (98.25%), environmental (92.98%), and social (91.23%) impacts being the most recurrent, followed by territorial/cultural and mental health dimensions (85.96%). Indicators such as economic dependence, loss of livelihoods, conflicts, and contamination were particularly frequent. In contrast, post-closure vulnerability received comparatively limited attention in the literature. These findings suggest the multidimensional and systemic nature of mining impacts and highlight the need for more integrated and long-term approaches, especially those addressing the post-operational period and progressive mine closure.