In the Republic of Moldova there are over 400 mines, quarries and mineral deposits authorized for extraction and over 300 unauthorized. The information about the authorized ones can be viewed on resurseminerale.site, while the list of the illegal ones, for which records are kept by the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, could be accessed on the same site in the near future. The interactive map of the mineral resources of the Republic of Moldova was launched by Expert-Group, IPN reports.

Iurie Morcotîlo, an economist at Expert-Grup, has mentioned at a news conference that this is the first digital resource in the country that locates mines, quarries and provides general information about them. The map aims to improve the transparency of the use of mineral resources. According to the economist, there are many cases of unlawful extractions, both from authorized places and from unauthorized spaces.

"We note that those mineral resources, which are scarce in the Republic of Moldova, are inefficiently used. Someone is taking advantage of the situation, the reason of the illicit use of mineral resources residing in the lack of transparency in this area”, said Iurie Morcotîlo.

The map has a tool by which citizens will be able to report problems related to illegal extractions. "We will be able to analyze the seriousness of the problem and whether the state policies in combating the illegal extraction of mineral resources are effective," added Iurie Morcotîlo.

The map was developed under a project funded by Soros Moldova.