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

As has been alluded to in the introductory section and in Section 2, expectations regarding the man- ner in which mining activities are planned and reg- ulated (encompassing planning, implementation, closure and post-closure cycles) encompass at least the following planning expectations : planning defines a vision of the end result for mining land and sets out concrete objectives to implement that vision; mine closure plan is an integral part of a project life cycle; the preparation of a mine closure plan takes place early in the process of mine development and in consultation with the regulating author- ity and local communities; planning for mining operations should include environmental, social and economic aspects. In general terms this context includes a process that extends from the pre-mine planning phase, through construction, mining, and mine closure to post-mine stewardship (Environment Austral- ia, 2002b). It is also important that planning expectations con- tinually evolve to maintain relevancy in the eyes of key social actors. Social expectations continually grow in a wide range of areas as was highlighted in Sections 2.3.4 and 2.3.5 where principles for in- vestment were outlined. Despite the fact that those example are for investment in mining projects, the reader is encouraged again to examine the content Appendix C – The Equator Principles and Appendix D – Governance Principles for FDI in Hazardous Activities in order to gain a picture of what “current best practice” expectations may be. When shifting to the environmental outcomes of mine closure, expectations include that mine closure is to provide long-term stabilization of the geochem- ical and geotechnical conditions of the disturbed mining areas to protect public health, and minimise and prevent any abnormal additional or on-going environmental degradation. As such, and as defined earlier, the base environmental expectations are: Future public health and safety are not com- promised; Environmental resources are not subject to physical and chemical deterioration; When dealing with environmental parameters, the situation may often be that “official expectations” require (at least in theory) that at mine closure, mining companies have restored the area affected • • • • • •

world that preventative measures leading to ad- equate mine closure be always put in place. The next section summarises common expectations regarding responsible mining and responsible gov- ernance of mining activities. 4.4 common expectat- ions and emergent best environmental practice As has been made clear throughout this document, significant advances have been made in mining practice over the past two decades or so – particu- larly in “leading” mining countries. These advanc- es cannot be divorced from their central drivers – public expectations, governmental measures that are stimulated by the expectations of other stake- holders, and general awareness of the implications of legacies and the need to prevent more. As has been outlined in Section 3, the stakeholders that generate “common expectations” are diverse and can act alone on in constellations depending upon individual situations. One trend is certain – expec- tations regarding the levels of environmental and sustainability-related practice in mining and for mine closure are increasing. 4.4.1 base expectations regarding closure According to van Zyl et al (2002a), the activities dur- ing the final closure stage for a mine site include: (1) the removal of infrastructure, (2) the implemen- tation of public safety measures, (3) re-contour- ing and revegetation (rehabilitation), (4) ongoing maintenance of site structures and monitoring of environmental issues, (5) the operation of site fa- cilities required to mitigate or prevent long term environmental degradation and (6) the completion of company involvement in sustainable commu- nity economic and social programmes. Mine decommissioning and closure is the proc- ess of shutting down a mining operation with the broad objective of leaving the area in a safe and stable condition that is consistent with the sur- rounding physical and social environment and does not need ongoing maintenance (Environ- ment Australia, 2002a).

The following text will address that which this dis- cussion deems these points to mean.

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MINING FOR CLOSURE