reclamation of lands disturbed by mining - Government of British ...

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As the Chairman of the Technical and Research Committee I am pleased
to welcome you to this Mine Reclamation Symposium. This is the
second consecutive year our Committee has organized and sponsored
a symposium and I must admit that there was considerable debate
among Committee members concerning the desirability of having a
symposium again this year. The reasoning behind the Committee's
decision to convene a second annual symposium may require some
explanation.
The primary purpose for the symposium is to promote communication
and conversation among industry, government, academics, consultants
and other groups or individuals concerned about the impact
of mining on land and related resources. The Committee felt that
communication
and interchange of information are necessary to
improve
our knowledge and understanding of the impacts of mining,
and that discussion among concerned peoples is essential for the
development of effective policies, guidelines and technologies
which w i l l minimize any adverse impacts and restore disturbed
areas to a stable and useful state. The "round table" workshop
sessions, which followed each series of lectures during the f i r s t
symposium,will be employed again this year to facilitate these
important
discussions.
There are many inter-related aspects to mined-land reclamation,
more than can be adequately discussed within the time limitations
of a symposium of this type. The Committee felt, therefore, that
i t was possible to organize a program which would be both interesting
and informative without being repetitive. Judging by the
large number of delegates registered, the Committee has been
successful in choosing topics which are both timely and of broad
interest.