Publication Name

XII

MINING FOR CLOSURE

greater acceptance/less resistance from key

stakeholders (in particular local communities

and land owners),

improved access to land resources from gov-

ernments;

improved access to capital from reputable

lending institutions;

the potential for reduced cost of capital and li-

ability insurance;

continual feedback upon the manner in which

community expectations are being achieved.

It is in the best interest of business for such activities

to take place at the right phase of mine life in order

to minimise such expenditures. As mine decommis-

sioning usually occurs at a point in the life of an op-

eration where the economic recovery of minerals has

ceased, and cash flows are minimal or non-existent,

then this is not the time to be undertaking the bulk

of rehabilitation operations. Again, it is stressed that

the overall mine decommissioning process should be

integrated with the overall mine operation planning

process. Further, if decommissioning and closure are

not undertaken in a planned and effective manner,

chances are that the results will also be sub-optimal.

the way forward

This document was created in order to present prin-

ciples, ideas and guidelines for mining policy devel-

opment, capacity development and institutional de-

velopment that can yield a sustainable mix of social,

economic, and environmental outcomes in the SEE/

TRB region. It has been generated in recognition of

a fundamental divide between the interests of min-

ing companies who typically wish to develop mines,

achieve a good return for shareholders, then leave

when production is finished and the interests of the

communities who desire wealth and income opportu-

nities created in their midst that will last over time.

This said, the document builds the case for the stra-

tegic relevance of

Mining for Closure

for both the

mining industry and for governments. Key actors

on both sides clearly recognise that the very viabil-

ity of the mining industry is challenged because of

high expectations for environmental protection,

desires for lower risk to human health, compet-

ing land use demands, and the increasing value of

the natural environment as recreational space. The

survival of the mining industry

and

sustainable de-

velopment of countries in SEE/TRB both require a

vibrant extractive industry that society accepts.

Throughout this text, a raft of principles, ideas and

guidelines are provided. These address the mining

policy development, capacity development and in-

stitutional development that need to be addressed

in order to ensure the operation of existing and

new mining operations in order for cost-effective

closure fulfilling acceptable sustainability require-

ments can be achieved. Further, a wide range of

ideas for exploration is presented regarding the

re-mining or otherwise valorising of abandoned or

orphaned sites in order to make safe and/or reme-

diate and close them.

In its content, the document establishes that the

way forward must include

fostering of institutional

frameworks

that support abandoned or orphaned

site management and a shift to sustainable min-

ing and minerals processing practice and that this

will require immediate and ongoing

capacity build-

ing for (public sector) institutional actors

as well as

significant

capacity building among industrial actors

Pursuant to that, the new skills and knowledge

among institutional actors must be directed at key

tasks of hazard and

risk-related uncertainty reduction

via focused information collection and by

risk reduc-

tion works

at abandoned or orphaned sites. Further,

new skills and knowledge applied within sound

institutional frameworks within all actors must be

applied for

risk reduction at operational sites

and the

development of new resources and re-mining activities

that are aligned with sustainable development. All

these must include

dialogue with key stakeholders

such as national and international NGOs, affected

citizens, and so forth.

This work outlines trends in the expectations of

society and the international community, the

general content, and the degree of international

uptake of best environmental mining in a range

of jurisdictions. As such, the principles presented

should serve to guide National agencies respon-

sible for mineral exploitation, and National agen-

cies responsible for environmental quality in their

work building of the foundations for good mining

policy and administration. Further, such stake-

holders can use this document to help inform

their own expectations for practice and to stimu-

late innovation and creation of solutions tailored

to their own circumstance. Innovation will be very

important as evidence was found throughout this

study that a number of the practices and/or the

scale of investments required elsewhere may not

be affordable here, nor may they be the most ap-

plicable.

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