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

the preparation of a mine closure plan early in the process of mine development and in consultation with the regulating authority and local communities; the explicit inclusion of environmental, social and economic aspects in the planning for min- ing operations; allowances for review and evolution that stretch from the pre-mine planning phase, through construction, mining, and mine clo- sure to post-mine stewardship. As more specific items, such processes should in- corporate: the concerns/participation of other stakehold- ers in the reclamation objectives; plans for action if ownership reverts to the state despite all efforts to ensure otherwise; the preservation of mine management and geological records; early delineation of project creditors’ claims on the site; legal considerations for ownership, both now and in the past;. maintenance of control over tenure if leases expire and another party wants to obtain rights to the surface/subsurface; adequate capacity among regulatory personnel; ongoing research and testing of remediation strategies and technologies and integration of results in Mining for Closure review processes; surveillance of the views and desires for the in- volvement of local communities (in particular where such parties wish to ensure the quality of information that they are receiving – de- manding a role in site monitoring and access to information to ensure accountability of op- erator and governments are examples); ensuring that communication exists between private and public bodies to improve closure policy and regulations; ongoing searches for financing measures for clean-up; disaster response; spills manage- ment and so forth, particularly for orphaned sites. In closing, it is necessary to underline that it is the role of government (as the representative of stake- holders in the nation state) to ensure that the ex- pectations of stakeholders are met. Further, it must be noted that stakeholder expectations are inher- ently fluid – and indeed that such expectations can be influenced, and perhaps should be where they do not best reflect the interests of all. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

6.5 mine closure policies in general what other key issues exist re- garding mine closure policies? The ongoing fundamental divide between the inter- ests of mining companies and the interests of the communities where mining is hosted represents a challenge that must be ameliorated. The determination of bonds size – the key param- eter of financial assurance for mine closure and reclamation – is problematical. Ongoing improvement of existing and new closure policies and regulations is necessary and must be planned for. Poorly considered distribution of redundancy schemes, provision of redundancy payments, and application of re-training schemes (even where fair and adequate) can lead to follow-on problems (re- bound effects). why should these issues be dealt with? If items such as those listed above generally refer to challenges to be faced when implementing good practice that one has striven after. Such issues dem- onstrate that even when Mining for Closure practic- es have been established within sound institutional frameworks and then put in place, they must still be managed carefully. Further, that flexibility and the need for revision must be recognised. The al- ternatives are sub-optimal solutions or even failure of the measures. how can these issues be pro- gressed? These items are essentially planning related and can be catered for (if not resolved) by planning proc- esses that integrate a range of safeguard measures. In general terms, such processes should involve: the definition of a vision of the end result for mining land that sets out concrete objectives for implementation; ensuring that the mine closure plan is an inte- gral part of a project life cycle; • • The integrity of financial securities is vital.

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MINING FOR CLOSURE