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

However, in the context of SEE/TRB, the task at hand encompasses more than ensuring mine closure and rehabilitating mining legacies. The strengthen- ing of institutional frameworks is also required to manage and reduce trans-boundary risks related to such hazardous activities, to facilitate the successful management of trans-boundary natural resources and to influence the evolution of social norms. As such there is a clear need for a capacity-building programme to enhance the ability of national agen- cies and mines inspectorates to deal with the legacy of mining sites in the region, and to ensure that new mining projects are based on sound environmental and security principles. Such a programme should apply a combination of capacity-building tools in- cluding knowledge transfer, case study analysis, regional workshop(s) to exchange experience, and development of country action programmes. Such works should focus upon building agency capacity in the following areas: Environmental impact and risk assessment, and screening of new mining projects Incorporation of public security measures and emergency preparedness into mining permits and licences Dealing with non-active mines, including abandoned sites • • • Further, it is considered that the following activities are required to progress risk-related issues: multi-lateral participation in the establish- ment of officially sanctioned bodies or work- ing groups with the responsibility of scoping programmes for hotspot site remediation and seeking international funding for execution of priority works; establishment of officially sanctioned bodies or working groups for the assessment and management of transboundary risk – such bodies will need to include representatives from generating territories and receiving ter- ritories, and as required include international experts and international bodies involved in transboundary environmental and regional security issues and opportunities should be explored to expand the remit of existing func- tional entities to reduce bureaucracy, build on existing capacity, and maximise efficient use of limited resources; • •

or financial and insurance markets that adequately address mine closure rules or funding because such frames: prevent delays in developing projects and in- vestments in this sector, ensure equitable distribution and internaliza- tion of closure costs, avoid the need for costly and time consuming tai- lor-made solutions on a case-by-case basis, and ensure that the best investor groups and min- ers are attracted to national resources. In order to reduce transboundary environmental and human safety risks posed by sub-standard mining operations – both active and abandoned – in the region. how can these issues be pro- gressed? A major step forward would be the establishment of detailed and consistent mine closure require- ments and procedures across the region to replace the general regulatory vacuum. For most countries it appears that there are presently few or no appli- cable laws, regulations, standards and norms. 104 According to the authors of Research on Mine Clo- sure Policy (Cohilco: Chilean Copper Commission, 2002, p4) it seems that it works better to have an independent mine closure law that establishes a single agency for implementation. Such models provide the business community with added con- fidence that one agency will take the lead on its problems and that it will not have to answer to many differing opinions on how operation, rec- lamation and closure success will be measured. Further, this also allows the public and NGOs a single place to go for information on mining regu- lation. Another source (personal communication: Univer- sity of Nevada, 2005, 28 July) adds that the mine closure agency should be the same agency that per- mits operations so that there is continuity between design aspects focused upon operations and de- sign aspects dealing with closure. Finally, it is logi- cal that laws are consistent with other such laws within the same regulatory framework and prefer- ably (and where possible) with those developed by the other countries in the region, and that require- ments should not be duplicated. • • • • Broader environment and security related issues

104. The Desk Study: Reducing Environment & Security Risks from Mining in South Eastern Europe (Peck, 2004), documents the in- fancy of such frameworks in many SEE/TRB countries.

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MINING FOR CLOSURE