A guide to leading practice sustainable development in mining

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Mining the resource efficiently. The mine utilised six different underground mining methods some of which were truly innovative, such as the Vertical Crater Retreat and Undercut and Fill methods. The emphasis was on extracting as close to 100% of the ore body as possible, as the metal grades were exceptionally high. High environmental standards. The community surrounded the mining operation and thus it was in its interests to protect the environment. It was one of the first in Australia to have its own nursery for tube stock for mine rehabilitation. It also provided free plants to employees. One of its employees, (Albert Morris), in the 1930s, created a green belt surrounding the mines, to repair the damage caused by timber getting for mining and smelting and also to repair the effects of over-grazing by sheep. The sum total of these initiatives was a mining field with exceptional longevity, staffed by a loyal, committed workforce living in a city with amazing amenities considering its isolation, with a very stable population base. Figure 1.4 – Vista of North Broken Hill mine Figure 1.5 – Stable but unrevegetated dumps in South Broken Hill A GUIDE TO LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MINING 11
Sustainable Mining Practices – An Holistic Model A body of literature exists suggesting that mining can contribute to sustainable development by focusing on successful economic, environmental and community outcomes. However, in a mining context, these pillars (the triple bottom-line) fail to adequately account for two important areas, essential for a sustainable mining operation, as illustrated by the Broken Hill example. One “missing” dimension is safety, which receives more attention in the mining sector than arguably any other industry. The media coverage and political focus applied to any mine “accident” exceeds virtually all other industries. It is not unusual for regulators to force a mine to close on the basis of a poor mine safety record. Recent examples include the San José mine in Chile and the Pike River mine in New Zealand. Older examples include the Westray mine in Novia Scotia, the Lassing mine in Austria, the Beaconsfield, Gretley and the Moura mines in Australia and the Sago Mine in West Virginia. Although acknowledged as extremely important by regulators and mining companies, its importance is not borne out in the literature on mining and sustainable development. The second missing dimension is a focus on extraction practices of the mineral resource itself. In the literature, researchers have tended to concentrate on the exhaustibility of the resource as a depleting asset (Auty and Mikesell, 1998). However, the researchers approach the subject from a macro level and usually from an economic perspective. It is suggested that there is a need to focus on the micro level, at the individual mine site, where the resource is managed sustainably or unsustainably. This element or dimension can be termed ‘resource efficiency’ or simply ‘efficiency’. It differentiates mining from other industries and is the basis or platform for any sustainable benefit to flow to the community. In most countries, the mineral resource is “owned” by the State on behalf of the community; therefore, there is an immediate link to the triple bottom-line. Too often, an ore body or coal seam is mined without any regard for the long term, resulting in a reduced mine life. In addition, government regulators rarely scrutinise how companies mine a particular deposit, usually focusing only on the safety and environmental aspects. The reasons may be political, given that the community has more of an interest in these aspects, or simply the lack of technical expertise in government. Mine managers will be on track in establishing a sustainable mining operation if they then focus on the following five areas: safety, environment, economy, efficiency and the community (see Figure 1.6). A brief description of each dimension follows. 12 LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY
Page 1 and 2: LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELO
Page 3 and 4: Disclaimer This publication has bee
Page 5 and 6: 3.0 DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION 61
Page 7 and 8: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Leading Practi
Page 9 and 10: viii LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE D
Page 12 and 13: 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Purpose and La
Page 14 and 15: Airborne Contaminants, Noise and Vi
Page 16 and 17: Water Management (LP Water) This ha
Page 18 and 19: Site water team Corporate managemen
Page 20 and 21: Sustainable Mining There is no one
Page 24 and 25: Efficiency SUSTAINABLE MINING PRACT
Page 26 and 27: LOCATION: Vilabouly District, Savan
Page 28 and 29: Leading Practice The handbooks in t
Page 30 and 31: 2.0 PRE-DEVELOPMENT: MINERAL EXPLOR
Page 32 and 33: The application of high standard en
Page 34 and 35: The Business Case for Sustainabilit
Page 36 and 37: The information obtained from these
Page 38 and 39: conditions are appropriate. In NSW,
Page 40 and 41: Such richness also brings challenge
Page 42 and 43: The dunefields of Shelburne Bay had
Page 44 and 45: Community Engagement in the Early S
Page 46 and 47: Baseline studies and social impact
Page 48 and 49: Upon completion of the study, resea
Page 50 and 51: The scenarios envisaged for the Wat
Page 52 and 53: 2. Reflections on the significance
Page 54 and 55: Engaging with Indigenous communitie
Page 56 and 57: Figure 2.9 - A New Township under C
Page 58 and 59: Geochemical assessment aims to iden
Page 60 and 61: Regardless of the project phase (ex
Page 62 and 63: Evaluating Performance: Monitoring
Page 64 and 65: For these reasons, it is important
Page 66 and 67: Risk Management and Exploration Exp
Page 68 and 69: Post-mining & closure Resource deve
Page 70: level of family diversity was maint
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Introduction The development and co
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MINE: Mt Todd LOCATION: Near Kather
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Airborne Contaminants, Noise and Vi
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Biodiversity Management During Deve
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Rather than taking a generic approa
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Step 2: Working in collaboration On
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course was designed to train and pr
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Adjustments for changes in the mine
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indicators of high importance durin
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Operating major mining projects pre
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the earliest stage of development,
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Watercourse diversions In order to
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Figure 3.7 - Morwell River after di
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tailings disposal techniques contin
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Figure 4.2 - Predicted blast overpr
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Responsible management of biodivers
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Leading practice management of wate
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MINE: Pierina Mine LOCATION: Distri
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Weipa - a sustainable approach to t
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Adopting the International Cyanide
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Box 1: Major recent incidents invol
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MINE: Chatree gold mine LOCATION: P
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The audit outcomes also highlight t
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Mercury for gold recovery in small/
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Figure 4.9 - Geological control to
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highest rating group for the whole
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Figure 4.13 - Beverley uranium mine
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from 2.5 - 3.0 tonnes/man-shift to
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Figure 4.17 - Sunrise Dam TSF Taili
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Dry stacking bauxite residue is now
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Once the water is used underground
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The Rio Tinto “Excellence in Wate
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Background Image: Sourced from GOOG
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Company policies and government reg
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5.0 MINE REHABILITATION AND CLOSURE
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Closure involves the implementation
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Biodiversity and Closure Introducti
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e better than the high standard bei
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Figure 5.7 - Pasture and shelter tr
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The Argyle Diamonds case study (see
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support and on site accommodation a
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Having the right information to mak
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Figure 5.13 - Misima after rehabili
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In January 2011, the PNG government
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MINE: Former lignite mines LOCATION
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Fig 5.16: Former Minister Stein Coa
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Figure 5.19 - Rehabilitated mine si
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Figure 5.21 - Pit water treatment p
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Final Rehabilitation Rehabilitation
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Figure 5.23: Aerial view of Area 4
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Landform construction In general, e
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The Hsin-Chen Shan quarry terrain i
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Figure 5.29 - Spreading topsoil at
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Risk Management Risk at closure and
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During the 1980s and 1990s, a numbe
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An example of direct vegetation is
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Water Management Central to a mine
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Department of Resources, Energy and
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GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS Abandoned min
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Biodiversity offsets Conservation a
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Cultural heritage Cultural heritage
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Engagement At its simplest, engagem
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High rate thickener A thickener thr
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NAPP Net Acid Producing Potential,
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Product stewardship This is perhaps
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Risk management process The risk ma
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Sustainable development Sustainable
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A guide to leading practice sustainable development in mining

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