Environmental Policies Towards Mining in Developing Countries

Regulating mine land reclamation in developing countries: The case of China

“…4 This magnitude often provides policy makers with hard decisions they are required to find a balance between national economic growth and protecting the environment (Walde, 1993;Warhurst, 1994;Mather and Chapman, 1995;Bastida, 2002). The history of the Ok Tedi gold and copper mine in Papua New Guinea well illustrates the problem.…”

“…The early 1970s saw global efforts to control and mitigate environmental impacts through institutional reform, with a trend characterized by a shift from a dispersed obligation mechanisms towards the creation of separate environmental authorities with increasingly independent powers (Walde, 1993;Wagner, 1998). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970, empowered to promulgate regulations for the implementation of environmental laws covering water, solid waste, air and radiation, pesticides and toxic substances, to minimize conflicts and inconsistencies, to facilitate compliance and regulatory enforcement, and to conduct environmental research on problems and their mitigation methods.…”

“…Mine land reclamation is such a comprehensive project that it requires a coherent regulatory regime as well as effective co-operation between all parties involved. Therefore, what is necessary is to create a consolidated and fully authoritative institution capable of ''channelling information and criteria from both mining and environmental perspectives'' (Walde, 1993), and mediating and balancing various interests. In China, a possible approach is to legitimately empower the SEPA as the lead authority responsible for the overall reclamation work.…”

“…In addition, mine land reclamation is also generally considered as an ongoing program because of progressively growing environmental effects as a mine evolves through the different stages of development (Walde, 1993). Mining is a temporary use of land and; mine land reclamation is clearly justified from the perspective of sustainable development.…”

Socioeconomic Impact of Artisanal and Small Scale Mining on the Mambilla Plateau of Taraba State, Nigeria

“…Degradation commonly occurs at all stages of mining activities from exploration to mine closure, resulting from both large and small scale artisanal mining operations (Walde, 1992). Mining in Taraba state is dominated by informal mining activities undertaken by individuals or groups who rely heavily on manual labour, using simple implements and methods.…”