Mineral resources and raw materials as a significant potential of Republika Srpska

Abstract

Mining is one of the oldest human activities and industries and involves exploration and exploitation of mineral resources. In addition, there are many areas of geology with the basic goal of collecting information for understanding the Earth's structure, and planning and conducting various types of geological research of mineral resources and raw materials. Mining is the holder of the mineral raw materials management like a non-renewable natural resource. The utilization value of mineral raw materials increases but constantly changes, depending on the needs, so the task of the mining and geological professions is to continuously valorization of their value. Miners and geologists should be actively involved in spatial planning and solving of potential activation of a particular mine location in terms of increasing the number of inhabitants and reducing living space with adequate environmental protection. Mining activities are predetermined by the place of mineral resources and raw materials occurrence and are limited by the real conditions and possibilities of a certain community and society. It is necessary to determine the real possibilities of exploitation because the organization of mining production at any cost is humanistically, ecologically and economically speaking, unsustainable. The mineral resources of the Republic Srpska enable the exploitation and processing of mineral raw materials in the metal, metal processing, construction, chemical, cement, ceramics construction materials industry etc. The largest part (over 90% in terms of value) are reproductive materials for processing in other industries, a smaller part are products that go directly to the market. In the conditions of increased and faster technological development and the tendency of increasing exploitation of natural resources in the world with changes in previous conceptions of life, there was a need to analyze the sustainability of natural and raw mineral resources for further development of Republika Srpska. The issue of sustainable development, in terms of strengthening the economic structure and geopolitical position of RS and BiH in relation to the surrounding countries, becomes a matter of strategic approach to the organization and development of the mineral complex.