Planning For Post-Mining Land Uses
A Strategy to Avoid a Potential Global Crisis?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48162/rev.40.100Keywords:
Mine closure, Post-mining land uses, Land re-purposing, Regional economic development, Industry diversification, Path dependencyAbstract
Globally, mining activities occupy large land footprints, during and after active operation. Few mine sites are fully rehabilitated, and even less are re-purposed for other uses. Consequently, there are large tracts of land and wasted assets, that could otherwise be used for productive purposes if post-mining land uses were viewed as an investment in the future rather than an insurmountable risk. Strategies for mined land and asset re-use are economically and socially important but there is no single agreed approach to best practice in mine closures, or the planned transition of a mining economy to other activities. Governments generally adopt a regulatory role, expecting industry to lead rehabilitation and re-purposing of mined land, with disappointing outcomes. However, in some examples where government has collaborated with industry and communities, there have been beneficial social and economic outcomes which serve as potential templates for global reform. This paper will discuss why mine relinquishment and re-purposing is difficult to achieve. Strategies being developed in Australia which seek to facilitate more timely mine closure and land re-purposing for alternative productive uses will be presented.
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