A framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation

The mining industry is a major contributor to Australia's economy. However, such returns may come at high environmental and social costs, including loss of biodiversity or heritage values. Thus, companies worldwide are required to rehabilitate mine sites to a state that is safe, non-polluting a...

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Main Authors: Manero, A., Kragt, M., Standish, R., Miller, B., Jasper, D., Boggs, G., Young, Renee
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IC150100041
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87892
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author Manero, A.
Kragt, M.
Standish, R.
Miller, B.
Jasper, D.
Boggs, G.
Young, Renee
author_facet Manero, A.
Kragt, M.
Standish, R.
Miller, B.
Jasper, D.
Boggs, G.
Young, Renee
author_sort Manero, A.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The mining industry is a major contributor to Australia's economy. However, such returns may come at high environmental and social costs, including loss of biodiversity or heritage values. Thus, companies worldwide are required to rehabilitate mine sites to a state that is safe, non-polluting and capable of supporting an agreed post-mining land use. While national and international guidelines on mine rehabilitation and closure exist, there is a lack of guidance on how to define achievable and measurable criteria that reflect rehabilitation success. This often leads to discrepancies between proponents and regulators, which hinder progression towards mine closure and relinquishment. The purpose of this study was to develop a systematic framework for the definition of completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation. The study was informed by a global review of the literature and collaborative research with mining stakeholders from Western Australia. The proposed framework consists of six fundamental steps: 1) selection of post mining land use; 2) definition of aspects and closure objectives; 3) selection of reference(s); 4) selection of attributes; 5) definition of completion criteria; and 6) evaluation of performance. This framework is the first to provide a step-by-step guide for defining site-specific completion criteria and applying a risk-based monitoring approach throughout the life of mine. The framework is applicable across jurisdictions and industries, in Australia and internationally, that require similar rehabilitation of disturbed lands.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-878922022-08-12T05:25:36Z A framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation Manero, A. Kragt, M. Standish, R. Miller, B. Jasper, D. Boggs, G. Young, Renee Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology Closure criteria Land rehabilitation Mine relinquishment Ecological restoration Mine reclamation Western Australia NATURAL SHRUBLAND COMMUNITIES JARRAH FOREST RESTORATION SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS BAUXITE RECLAMATION PERFORMANCE EXAMPLE IMPACT GROWTH MODEL The mining industry is a major contributor to Australia's economy. However, such returns may come at high environmental and social costs, including loss of biodiversity or heritage values. Thus, companies worldwide are required to rehabilitate mine sites to a state that is safe, non-polluting and capable of supporting an agreed post-mining land use. While national and international guidelines on mine rehabilitation and closure exist, there is a lack of guidance on how to define achievable and measurable criteria that reflect rehabilitation success. This often leads to discrepancies between proponents and regulators, which hinder progression towards mine closure and relinquishment. The purpose of this study was to develop a systematic framework for the definition of completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation. The study was informed by a global review of the literature and collaborative research with mining stakeholders from Western Australia. The proposed framework consists of six fundamental steps: 1) selection of post mining land use; 2) definition of aspects and closure objectives; 3) selection of reference(s); 4) selection of attributes; 5) definition of completion criteria; and 6) evaluation of performance. This framework is the first to provide a step-by-step guide for defining site-specific completion criteria and applying a risk-based monitoring approach throughout the life of mine. The framework is applicable across jurisdictions and industries, in Australia and internationally, that require similar rehabilitation of disturbed lands. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87892 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111078 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IC150100041 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD fulltext
spellingShingle Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Closure criteria
Land rehabilitation
Mine relinquishment
Ecological restoration
Mine reclamation
Western Australia
NATURAL SHRUBLAND COMMUNITIES
JARRAH FOREST RESTORATION
SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS
BAUXITE
RECLAMATION
PERFORMANCE
EXAMPLE
IMPACT
GROWTH
MODEL
Manero, A.
Kragt, M.
Standish, R.
Miller, B.
Jasper, D.
Boggs, G.
Young, Renee
A framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation
title A framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation
title_full A framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation
title_fullStr A framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation
title_full_unstemmed A framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation
title_short A framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation
title_sort framework for developing completion criteria for mine closure and rehabilitation
topic Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Closure criteria
Land rehabilitation
Mine relinquishment
Ecological restoration
Mine reclamation
Western Australia
NATURAL SHRUBLAND COMMUNITIES
JARRAH FOREST RESTORATION
SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS
BAUXITE
RECLAMATION
PERFORMANCE
EXAMPLE
IMPACT
GROWTH
MODEL
url http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IC150100041
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87892