Selection of Post-Quarrying Land Uses in Western Macedonia, Greece, Using a Hybrid Multi-Criteria Method

The region of Western Macedonia is rich in mineral resources. Over the past decades, it has been primarily focused on lignite mining, while also maintaining smaller-scale extraction activities for olivine, attapulgite, talc, calcium carbonate, dolomite, gypsum, marble, slate, and aggregates, which hold significant economic value. This study recorded active public, private, and municipal quarries as well as inactive public and municipal quarries requiring rehabilitation. Furthermore, a methodology was developed and applied for screening three of the inactive municipal quarries and selecting the more suitable land use for each one. For this purpose, the authors assessed opportunities and risks at the regional level and identified strengths and weaknesses specific to each quarrying site carrying out a SWOT analysis. Criteria for selecting between alternative land uses were then determined. An expert panel including geologists, mineral resource specialists, environmental engineers, regional and municipal officials, legal experts, chamber of commerce representatives, and quarry company board members was convened to evaluate these criteria, with weights assigned using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Attributes with spatial variation were mapped using GIS, and the final ranking of land uses for each quarry site was determined using a simple algorithm. The scope of this study was to contribute to the development of communities located close to quarries by supporting the selection of the optimum post-quarrying land uses.