International principles and standards for the ecological restoration and recovery of mine sites

Abstract

Executive Summary Mining has been, and remains, an integral part of human existence from Stone Age quarries through to the iron and coal that fueled the industrial revolution, to the new materials needed to support the shift to renewable energy. Mining and mining products are major contributors to national economies with mining value tripling in the past two decades. As of 2020, the global mining footprint was 57,000 km2 and growing at a faster rate now than any other time in human history. Much of this footprint is operational, but in many areas where mining is now complete, the sites represent major environmental liabilities. Although site stabilization and managing waste materials remains a challenging part of mine closure in many parts of the world, the environmental liability of these sites means more than being just safe, stable, and nonpolluting, with companies increasingly expected to restore ecosystems that are representative of their pre‐mined (natural) state. The International Principles and Standards for the Ecological Restoration and Recovery of Mine Sites (Mine Site Restoration Standards, MSRS) present the first international framework for the delivery of socially and environmentally responsible ecological restoration after mining, regardless of whether restoration is legally mandated. The MSRS are designed to inspire and drive higher and better outcomes in post‐mining landscapes by both guiding and encouraging the highest level of restoration achievable that supports the global need for protecting and restoring nature. This comes at a time of unparalleled global human impacts where climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss threaten the very ecological fabric of the planet. Mining companies are a major global player in local and regional economies and by demonstrating leadership in protecting, enhancing, and restoring the environments in which they operate, they can maintain, and enhance their social license to operate. The MSRS aim to provide a framework for the mining industry, governments, and stakeholders, including Indigenous peoples and local communities, to address mining‐specific issues in delivering effective restoration of mine sites. The MSRS emphasize that achieving the highest possible ecological outcomes depends upon ingenuity, knowledge investment, and a supportive corporate ethos to build a culture of continuous improvement. This approach will maximize benefits for local communities, the environment, and ultimately the mining industry. For industry, the MSRS provide a framework that can be utilized to optimize restoration outcomes that will leave a positive legacy long after mining has ceased. Early adoption of the MSRS by industry can reduce environmental, financial, and corporate risk in achieving site relinquishment by demonstrating the highest possible commitment to stakeholders, increasing natural capital, responding to climate change and, recovering biodiversity, including threatened and culturally significant species. The agreed‐upon post‐mining land use (PMLU), ...

Rehabilitation and mine closure policies creating a pathway to relinquishment: an Australian perspective

“…Although the Young et al's (2022) definition may be accurate when considering rehabilitation as an activity within the restorative continuum, there is a clear discrepancy between this and the more commonly adopted definition of rehabilitation within legislation describing “the biophysical repair of land, where restoration is not the goal” (Australian Government 2016). It is for this reason that this paper utilizes the definition of rehabilitation found in Australian Government literature when describing activities aiming to repair disturbed land.…”

“…The rehabilitation of mine sites covers a range of activities from geotechnical and geochemical stabilization of disturbed land, to reestablishing a level of ecosystem recovery. Young et al (2022) describes rehabilitation as activities “that aim to reinstate a level of ecosystem functioning on degraded sites, where the goal is renewed and ongoing provision of ecosystem services rather than the biodiversity and integrity of a designated native reference ecosystem. The standards reserve the term ‘restoration’ for those activities where the goal is substantial ecosystem recovery.”…”

Advances in mining restoration

“…Effective restoration solutions, and scientists trained in the development and application of practical improvements are the foundations for ensuring resource development operates with community and environmental confidence and has the ability to achieve the higher standards of restoration outcomes expected by all (Young et al 2022). Native topsoil is a scarce, highly valuable resource in postmining restoration; however, handling and storage during the mining process can adversely affect its functionality.…”

“…Effective restoration solutions, and scientists trained in the development and application of practical improvements are the foundations for ensuring resource development operates with community and environmental confidence and has the ability to achieve the higher standards of restoration outcomes expected by all (Young et al 2022).…”

“…Throughout its tenure, the CMSR has proven to be a key resource for policy advice, strategic guidance, and technical know‐how for both industry and government through leading roles in the development of the first and second editions of the National standards for the practice of ecological restoration in Australia (Standards Reference Group 2021), International principles and standards for the practice of ecological restoration (Gann et al 2019), International principles and standards for native seeds in ecological restoration (Pedrini & Dixon 2020), and the forthcoming International principles and standards for the ecological restoration and recovery of mined sites (Young et al 2022).…”