Mining and Sustainable Development II - DTIE

Mining
merits of existing and proposed projects.
Any standardized metric would include both
qualitative and quantitative “indicators” that
could be monitored over time to determine
cumulative impacts and changes. A full understanding
of such changes requires accurate baseline
data on the condition of the ecosystem before
the project activity began.
The most straightforward ecological indicator
for measuring project impact is land-take. By
comparing the number of hectares severely disturbed
or converted – directly or indirectly – by
the operation to the number of hectares under
some form of conservation supported by the project,
enables a company to determine whether the
net impact on land is positive or negative. (The
land in conservation should always be of the same
or greater biodiversity value as the land being converted.)
Such a calculation can be done at a project,
regional, national or company-wide level.
But conservation is more than just counting
hectares. The health of ecosystem functions that
depend on complex water, air, soil and animal
movements and interactions cannot be measured
just by land-take. Other measurements, such as
the level of impact on particular species or changes
in water, soil or air pollution, are also necessary to
get a complete picture of the impact of a project.
Finally, in addition to tangible indicators of
ecosystem health, such as species counts and numbers
of hectares, other contributions will benefit
conservation on a broader level. For example,
financial or in-kind support for training in conservation
practices or park management can have
an important impact on the security of protected
areas that can’t always be readily measured in
hectares. Support for infrastructure and monitoring
of access to an area can help prevent unauthorized
incursions and indirect impacts from
land-clearing and colonization. Funding or support
for biological research and data collection can
contribute to general knowledge of biodiversity in
an area and improve the quality of impact assessment
and monitoring programs. None of these
impacts are easily quantifiable, but all are equally
important.
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Conclusion
The large-scale mining industry has already
made great strides towards understanding and
addressing the potential impacts of their operations
in sensitive ecosystems. Environmental
impact statements and management plans are
standard practice at most major projects around
the world, and advanced technologies and practices
are routinely used by progressive companies
to minimize and mitigate environmental
impacts. As a result, the potential negative effects
of a large mine’s presence in a sensitive environment
can be greatly reduced.
Nevertheless, as these operations advance into
the world’s last remaining undeveloped and biodiversity-rich
ecosystems, simply reducing negative
impacts is not enough. Companies operating
in these areas also have an ethical responsibility to
make a positive contribution to conservation, to
ensure that their presence has a net benefit to the
ecosystem and that the area is in better condition
when they leave than when they arrived.
◆
Mining and metals
processing: the commitment
to sustainable development
Gary Nash, Secretary General of the International Council on Metals and the Environment (ICME),
294 Albert Street, Suite 506, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIP 6E6
Many companies in the global mining and
metals processing sector have made
notable progress in the past 10 years in
embracing the elements of sustainable development.
Companies can provide sustainable economic,
environmental and social benefits to the
communities and regions in which they operate.
Towards this end, many companies have now put
in place environmental and, in some cases, community
policies, together with management systems
that require regular audits and public
reporting. A committee of the Board of Directors
overseeing corporate environmental performance
is also common in most major companies. Further,
more and more companies have adopted sustainable
development as a context for their
corporate objectives. The benefits of integrating
environmental, social and economic aspects into
the decision-making process are being increasingly
recognized. Stakeholder consultations and participation
are now seen as integral to this process
and to achieving common objectives.
From the perspective of ICME, society’s pursuit
of sustainable development is a dynamic
process that will continue to evolve over time in
response to changing social values and priorities.
Sustainable development involves values and principles
that guide corporate policies and practices.
Recently, commitments to sustainable development
by ICME members took the form of decisions
by the Board of Directors to sign the United
Nations Declaration on Cleaner Production and
to amend the ICME Sustainable Development
Charter. The new Charter outlines members’
commitments to sustainable development, which
will guide them into the new millennium.
The new ICME Charter contains management
principles in four key areas: Environmental Stewardship;
Product Stewardship; Community
Responsibility; and General Corporate Responsibilities.
ICME members acknowledge through
the Charter that sustainable development is a corporate
priority, which expresses a commitment to
high quality in their economic, environmental
and social performance.
In the early years of this new millennium, significant
challenges must be addressed by members
and regions where these activities take place.
ICME seeks to work in partnership with international
organizations, governments and other
stakeholder groups on behalf of the industry to
promote the implementation of sustainable development
policies and practices. With respect to
specific sustainable development challenges currently
facing the global mining and metals processing
industry, ICME is currently addressing a
number of important issues, for example:
◆ Tailings management: Golder Associates, with
funding from ICME, finalized a study in October
2000 assessing the need for an International
Guide for Tailings Management. ICME presented
the results at a workshop co-hosted by UNEP
and the Government of Australia on Mining held
in Perth, Australia in October 2000;
◆ World heritage and mining: A workshop organized
by IUCN, in partnership with ICME, was
held in Gland, Switzerland in September 2000 to
develop a set of principles regarding mining in
areas adjacent to World Heritage Sites; and
◆ Cyanide management in gold mining: ICME
and UNEP convened a multi-stakeholder workshop
in Paris in May 2000 to consider the development
of an international voluntary Code of
Practice for the management of cyanide in the
industry as a result of the Baia Mare incident in
Romania.
By working together with international and
domestic partners, and with a clear commitment
of the industry to the principles of sustainable
development, a positive legacy of economic, environmental
and social benefits can be realized from
global mining and metal processing activities in
the coming decades of the 21st century.
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94 ◆ UNEP Industry and Environment – Special issue 2000