Livro EDM

16 The Legacy of Abandoned Mines
• No passado, o fecho das minas era aceite como uma consequência inevitável das condições económicas, do esgotamento dos recursos ou de
ambos. Não havia qualquer obrigação dos operadores planearem o encerramento ou criarem apoios financeiros para os custos desse encerramento.
As minas só encerravam quando começavam a perder dinheiro e fazia pouco sentido em prosseguir as actividades sem liquidez.
• O choque do fecho era agravado pela natureza cíclica do sector mineiro. As flutuações bruscas das cotações dos metais são endémicos e raramente
previstos com alguma exactidão, criando fases de rápido desenvolvimento e expansão das minas, seguidas do encerramento e abandono rápidos
e imprevisíveis.
• Os ciclos resultantes de crescimento e declínio da produção reflectem-se nos impostos e nos direitos de royalties a pagar ao Estado, mas muitos
governos não investem em infra-estruturas locais e em capital social nos momentos de abundância. Quando esses recursos financeiros desaparecem,
as regiões mineiras não dispõem frequentemente de activos físicos (estradas, caminhos-de-ferro, habitação, serviços de utilidade pública)
ou de capacidade social (saúde, educação, governação) de que precisam para lhes permitir desenvolver sustentadamente outras opções locais
depois da mina.
Mina de Aljustrel -
Detalhe da barragem
de rejeitados.
(JB)
Aljustrel Mine - Detail
of the tailings dam.
(JB)
WHAT IS HAPPENING
TO PREVENT FURTHER
NEGATIVE MINING
LEGACY BEING CREATED?
The mining industry will argue that
these conditions and risks no longer
exist, and that mining legacy is essentially
a historical problem. It is
certainly true that the industry has
changed greatly and continues to
change in a variety of ways.
• In most jurisdictions, formal closure
plans must now be prepared
by mining operators, often as a
condition of obtaining a permit
at the start of operations. At their
best, these plans formalise the operating
practices and post-closure
commitments that will minimise
the adverse environmental and
social impacts of mining and maximise
the opportunities for the
transition to a sustainable alternative
local economy when mining
ceases. The availability of sufficient
resources to implement the measures
stipulated by the plan can be
ensured by requiring operators to
deposit financial bonds dedicated
to this sole use.
• Environmental regulations are
now in force everywhere that
mining operates, often developed
with the encouragement and support
of multilateral agencies such
as the World Bank. Where the
requirements of national law and
regulation are relatively weak, the
conditions which must be met by
operators are frequently strengthened
by the requirements of lending
institutions such as the International
Finance Corporation and
banks that are signatories to the
Equator Principles 3 . The performance
of companies, particularly
those with operations in several
countries, is actively monitored by
civil society organisations such as
Earthworks and WWF.
Within mining companies, the
business case for good practice in
environmental and social management
is increasingly recognised. This
recognises the long-term business
value of earning and maintaining
a strong social licence to operate,
which depends on meeting the