Risk assessment framework for cumulative effects (RAFCE)

Abstract

Introduction: Regional environmental risk assessment is a practical approach to understanding and proactively addressing the cumulative effects of resource development in areas of regional importance. However, regional assessment is methodologically complex, and frameworks to identify and prioritize regional risk issues to guide effective management decisions are lacking. This research develops a risk and impacts-based cumulative effects assessment framework for scoping regional cumulative effects issues to guide present and future project and regional assessment. We operationalized the framework dubbed Risk Assessment Framework for Cumulative Effects (RAFCE) to assess the risks and impacts of proposed mining development in the Ring of Fire region of Northern Ontario, Canada.Methods: Methodologically, we built on existing studies to understand the key valued ecosystem components (VECs) impacted by mining; organized an expert Bowtie Risk Assessment Tool workshop and interviews to identify regional risks and define the VECs impacted by mining; and developed an impact prioritization model that helped quantify and prioritize impacts of mining.Results and Discussion: RAFCE enabled us to: a) identify drivers and impacts of cumulative effects and potential preventive and mitigation measures for effective cumulative effects management and b) describe, quantify, and rank the major impact and components of regional interest. Using RAFCE, we can identify and prioritize impacts that are cross-cutting, multisector‐driven, synergistic, and relevant to a region, visualize and understand the risk management process, identify policy and management issues to prevent risks or mitigate impacts, and ultimately inform resource allocation for effective regional cumulative effects assessment outcomes. RAFCE is suitable for engaging diverse stakeholders in planning for regional cumulative effects assessment.

Ensuring Financial System Sustainability: Combating Hybrid Threats through Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Measures

“…Another problem is that companies that have been attacked often cover up these attacks to avoid possible financial losses and bad reputations. This, on the other hand, has the consequence that many companies may not be aware of the seriousness of the situation and do not make sufficient use of the possibilities of insuring against these risks (Antwi et al 2023).…”

“…Experience from the fight against criminal activity shows the important role played by financial institutions. Sustainable fraud detection comprises the use of sustainable and ethical practices in the detection of fraudulent activities in the financial sector (Maashi et al 2023; Kurshan and Shen 2020;Leonov et al 2019;Antwi et al 2023;Alnasser Mohammed 2021). The research (Kumar and Seetharama 2022) objectives have been to determine the impact of the exogenous construct on anti-money laundering implementation in banks.…”

A modelling approach to inform regional cumulative effects assessment in northern Ontario

“…The bowtie technique is particularly valuable as it encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, allowing stakeholders from different fields of study to brainstorm on previously unexplored issues through multidisciplinary brainstorming sessions or workshops. Despite its origins in industrial risk assessment (de Ruijter and Guldenmund, 2016), BRAT is increasingly used in ecological contexts, including CEA of threats to the self-sustainability of caribou (Winder et al, 2020;Antwi et al, 2023). potential threats to the quality of water (Creed et al, 2016), and pressures on biodiversity and water quality developing from forest management activities (Kishchuk et al, 2018).…”

“…Some bowtie frameworks use "escalation factors" that simultaneously affect the performance of multiple preventatives or mitigative barriers; these can be viewed as points where the quantification of risks can be altered in various scenarios. The bowtie framework enables numerical quantification of the effectiveness of risk barriers and visualization of the comprehensive range of modern risks (Antwi et al, 2023). It also facilitates the identification and examination of deficiencies in management systems.…”

A GIS methodology for mapping regional and community vitality for Canada using the CanEcumene 3.0 Geodatabase with census data

“…In Canada, this problem is particularly challenging given its large geographic size, diversity of environments and highly irregular population distribution. Currently, several high priority policy issues require national level mapping of socio-economic conditions of communities across Canada including climate change adaptation (NRCan 2024), wildfire risk mapping (Erni et al 2021, Erni et al 2024) and cumulative effects assessment related to new natural resource development projects (Antwi et al 2023, IAAC 2024. Ideally, information required for these applications about human populated areas would benefit from a spatial index of the overall state of socio-economic conditions of communities and regions.…”