A guide to leading practice sustainable development in mining

Figure 4.2 - Predicted blast overpressure levels showing zone
of re-enforcement due to atmospheric conditions
Biodiversity
The Business Case for Managing Biodiversity
The risks and impacts to business of the failure to adequately manage biodiversity
issues can include: increased regulation and liability to prosecution increased
rehabilitation, remediation and closure costs, social risks and pressure from
surrounding communities, civil society and shareholders; restricted access to
raw materials (including access to land, both at the initial stages of project
development and for ongoing exploration to extend the lifetime of existing projects)
restricted access to finance and insurance. In some instances the sensitivity of the
environmental and cultural values associated with particular elements of biodiversity
may result in the exclusion of exploration and mining activities.
In recent years, some projects have undertaken an initial desktop review and
reconnaissance of potential biodiversity issues in exploration and mining lease areas.
This information can be used for defining the risk of investment and the potential
for a ‘fatal flaw’ in the environmental impact processes, thereby reducing the social,
economic and environmental risks. This also enables informed decisions to be made
on the likelihood of a project progressing beyond the pre-feasibility stage, with a
consequent saving on time and resources where progress is unlikely.
90 LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY