Do you know that mining touches most facets of our everyday
life? We rant about mining but do you know that the “thing” on your hand while
reading this blog has mining written all over it? A cellular phone contains
about 24 micrograms of gold, 250 micrograms of silver, 3,800 micrograms of
cobalt and 9 micrograms of palladium.
And how do you think those minerals were gathered? Yes, mining.
Now that I have set some ground works on introducing mining
to you, let’s get to know what is responsible mining.
Driven by increase in global demands, rapidly changing
technologies and economic liberalization large-scale mining is reaching into
remote and bio-diverse ecosystems that leads to unprecedented industrial
development.
Careful planning and use of the best practices in mineral
exploration makes the presence of multinational mining companies an asset to
the community to harness political, financial and technical resources for
conservation and community development.
The activities of the mining companies are only one half of
the equation in developing areas within the scope of responsible mining. The
public sector, which includes the national and local government must create
regulatory guidelines wherein responsible practices are required, supported and
enforced. The first step of the government is to consult with the stakeholders-
the companies and local communities, to develop an all-encompassing, long range
strategic land-use plan for mineral development. The plan must consider the
ecological, cultural and geologic aspects to determine the appropriate mine
location and areas where mining should not take place.
According to Amy Rosenfeld Sweeting and Andrea P. Clark in
their Conservation International Policy Papers the following are principles
that can be used as guidelines for the development of appropriate and
responsible mining projects:
a.
Conduct complete environmental and social impact
assessments. Before the start of any activities, the mining company and the
government should work closely with the local stakeholders in order to conduct
a thorough impact assessments and determine the extent and range of any
potential impacts. These assessments is a big help in determining if the area
is suitable for mining.
b.
Developing an overall environmental and social
strategy. Produce a comprehensive management plan for addressing and mitigating
potential adverse impacts, improved performance, productivity and profitability
of an operation. This strategy should be developed at the start of the
operation and should be integrated in all aspects and phases of a project.
c.
Supplement mitigation with proactive
contributions to conservation and community well-being.
d.
Professionalize both environmental and social
activities. Design and implementation of an environmental and social management
strategy should be done by trained professionals, who are at a senior level in
the company and have the authority and mandate to make decisions to carry out
the programs.
e.
Minimize the scope and extent of impacts on
surrounding ecosystems. Controlling waste management through careful siting and
construction of tailings impoundments, monitoring of waste storage and
treatment of contaminated water or soil will also help minimize the impacts and
save time and money that might be needed for clean-up.
f.
Implement a comprehensive closure and
reclamation program.
g.
Involve and consult with local stakeholders at
all stages of operation.
h.
Provide appropriate economic compensation and
support the local communities.
i.
Develop strategic, long-term land use plans.
j.
Increase government capacity through training
and institutional reform.
k.
Use financial and economic tools to promote
responsible mining.
The next part of this series will focus on mining in the
tropics.
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