Publication Name

MINING FOR CLOSURE

2004) and some of the key items within the Rapid

Assessment report (Burnod-Requia, 2004). It pro-

vides information and guidance for regional deci-

sion makers on how they can move policy instru-

ments (measures) forward in the areas enfolding

the extractive industries. Central to achieving this

is understanding of how many of the problems

came to pass.

A range of reasons for mine abandonment are

presented in literature surrounding the industry

(Environmental Protection Agency, 1995b; Mul-

ligan, 1996; Nazari, 1999; Sengupta, 1993; Smith

& Underwood, 2000; van Zyl

et al

., 2002a; WOM

Geological Associates, 2000). The mining related

elements that create the legacy of abandoned and

orphaned mines are held to include:

the general absence of mine reclamation poli-

cies and regulations until the latter part of the

twentieth century;

ineffective enforcement of mine reclamation

policies and regulations if, and where in exist-

ence;

the absence of financial security mechanisms

to ensure funds for parties such as government

to conduct remediation in the event a mining

company going bankrupt and being unable to

cover the costs of rehabilitation;

inadequate financial security to address re-

mediation if, and where such funds were set

aside;

unforeseen economic events that caused early

cessation of activity or left companies bank-

rupt, such as a sudden drop in metal prices,

insurmountable difficulties with mining/mill-

ing, and/or infrastructure problems;

past technical practices undertaken such as

the sinking of numerous exploration shafts

and mineral deposit test pits that were never

back-filled prior to the introduction of drilling

equipment for mineral deposit evaluation;

national security issues such as the supply

cut-off for strategic metals in times of conflict

leading to rapid mining activity with scant

consideration of closure requirements or op-

erational longevity;

loss of mine data including records of under-

ground workings and surface openings due to

natural disaster, regulatory flux, unscheduled

cessation of activities, political disruption and

conflict;

political unrest, conflict and political instabil-

ity leading to unscheduled cessation of activi-

ties of a number of mines; and

small scale mining conducted by artisanal or

illegal miners, also including the uncontrolled

occupation of mine sites.

Since mine abandonment is usually sudden and

unplanned, governments are often left responsi-

ble for mine closure and rehabilitation. However,

it is clear that most of the points outlined above

can be planned for, or are preventable in some way.

Indeed there are growing expectations around the

world that this always be done. Prevention of fu-

ture mining legacies can be achieved through the

Mining for Closure

activities and principles summa-

rised within this document. Prevention is feasible

and desirable via sound governance.

activities within

mining for closure

In essence, Mining for Closure approaches encom-

pass:

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 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;

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