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

Sustainability-oriented – Conditions imposed for closure will need to transcend environmental qual- ity criteria alone to include other important factors employment and social outcomes, as well as long- term resource stewardship. Innovative – Jurisdictions should innovatively seek alternative economic yield from sites such as the valorization of wastes; alternative land utilization; infrastructure re-use; operational underwriting by tax yield; redevelopment and so forth. Service oriented – Mining for Closure solutions must identify how essential community services such as medical care, schools, and so forth can be continued after mine closure. Inclusive – Mining for Closure demands an in- clusive stakeholder approach. This inclusiveness must stretch beyond consideration of stakeholders within national boundaries such as communities and also include both regional nation states and in- ternational actors. steps to be taken Within the immediately coming years there is con- siderable urgency to achieve development within institutional frameworks. Establish detailed and consistent mine closure re- quirements and procedures across the region accord- ing to the principles outlined in this document and of relevant European and international legislation. Encourage the development of an independent mine closure law that establishes a single agency for implementation in each country. Ensure that these laws are consistent with other such laws within the same regulatory framework and devel- oped by the other countries in the region, and that requirements are not duplicated. Embark on a capacity-building programme to en- hance the ability of national agencies and mines inspectorates to deal with the legacy of mining sites in the region, and to ensure that new min- ing projects are based on sound environmental and security principles. Such works should focus upon building agency capacity in: 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 aban- doned sites, and management of transboundary risk. Similarly, within the immediately coming years there is some urgency to establish activities and sanctioned bodies – or strengthen and expand them where they exist – to progress risk reduction in general. Participate inmulti-lateralworkfortheestablishment of officially sanctioned bodies or working groups with the responsibility of scoping programmes for hotspot site remediation and seeking international funding for execution of priority works. Establish officially sanctioned bodies or working groups for the assessment and management of transboundary risk. Such bodies will likely need to include representatives from generating territories and receiving territories, and as required include international experts and international bodies in- volved in transboundary environmental and re- gional security issues. Within this, opportunities should be explored to expand the remit of existing functional entities to reduce bureaucracy, build on existing capacity, and maximise efficient use of lim- ited resources. Extend &/or establish transboundary notification and disaster response systems linked to the parties mentioned above. Extend &/or establish monitoring programmes, and/or early warning systems for the assessment of ongoing chronic pollution, and for the detection of pollution events. Similarly, within the immediately coming years there is some urgency to establish the following ac- tivities to progress rehabilitation or risk ameliora- tion at abandoned and orphaned mine sites. These next steps can be read in the context of flagship pi- lot remediation projects for learning. Inventorise & prioritise amongst abandoned and orphaned sites in order to ensure the best use of public and private funds. It is unavoidable that this will require the building of detail inventories of mining activities and mine related sites in Na- tional jurisdictions complete with salient content such as complete details of current ownership and • •

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MINING FOR CLOSURE