Mining for Closure: Policies, practises and guidelines for sustainable mining and closure of mines

much larger issue of environment and security risks posed by mining related in SEE/TRB. 102 what are the key institutional issues in see/trb? 103

overall objectives are to achieve a social, economical and environmental sustainable development.

Further, present mining legacies around the world indicate that insufficient institutional capacity and/ or a lack of development in institutional frameworks are prevalent problems in most countries involved in mining – including developed nations. Weaknesses in the following institutional parameters are common: the general absence of mine reclamation poli- cies and regulations until the latter part of the twentieth century indicates that most remain in their infancy or relatively untested; ineffective enforcement of mine reclamation policies and regulations if, and where in exist- ence has been common; the absence of financial security mechanisms to ensure funds for parties such as government to conduct remediation in the event of miner de- fault has been the rule rather than the exception; inadequate financial security to address reme- diation if, and where such funds were set aside has been common; avoidable and/or unnecessarily damaging technical practices remain in use in many mining jurisdictions; loss of mine data including records of under- ground workings and surface openings may remain an issue; political unrest, conflict and political instabil- ity leading to unscheduled cessation of activi- ties at mines is still common. • • • • • • • Skills (capacity) availability in the region is often in- sufficient to perform adequate national and trans- boundary hazard and risk management. Data (both qualitative and quantitative) availability in the region is insufficient to perform adequate nation- al and trans-boundary hazard and risk management. Dialogue with key stakeholders such as national and international NGOs, affected citizens, and so forth is insufficient. why should these issues be dealt with? Broader environment and security related issues

Mining for closure issues

Institutionalised practices aligned with the precepts of Mining for Closure are undeveloped in SEE/TRB – Mining for Closure activities should commence before approvals are given for the development of a mining project. Among other things a conceptual mine closure plan should be submitted at the feasi- bility stage that include plans for decommissioning and rehabilitation of each component of the min- ing area with cost estimates. Experiences with financial assurance tools and funding mechanisms for closure in general are limited – appropriate funding mechanisms are es- sential to ensure sufficient funds are available for mine closure activities and the completion of all de- commissioning and rehabilitation requirements. Traditions of review processes and stakeholder con- sultations are lacking – Mining for Closure plans must be reviewed periodically throughout a mine life in order to cater for changes in the overall min- ing plan, changes pursuant to environmental re- views, and needs and aspirations of the communi- ties. Consultation with all external stakeholders and their participation are vital for the successful plan- ning, operation and closure of any mine and to en- sure social and economic activities are maintained. Technical, ecological, risk related and “sustainable development related institutional capacities are insuf- ficient – Mining for Closure demands combinations of the aforementioned expertise. These are uncom- mon in most mining countries, let alone in countries that have experienced recent institutional flux. The primary concerns for decommissioning and reha- bilitation are to ensure public safety and health, en- vironmentally stable conditions compatible with the surrounding environment are achieved and to mini- mize environmental impacts caused by mining. The 102. Refer to Peck (2004) and Burnod-Requia (2004) for UNEP related output. There are also a number of other publications pro- duced by the Romanian Government of great relevance as well as documents such as that produced by Zinke/ICPDR (ICPDR/ Zinke Environment Consulting, 2000). 103. Many of these points are derived from a paper from the Chilean Copper Commission (Cohilco: Chilean Copper Commission, 2002).

Mining for closure issues

These issues should be combated with corporate governance approaches, regulatory frameworks,

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MINING FOR CLOSURE