Life After Mining: a one day workshop addressing the socio-economic implications of closure

When a mine closes, the impact is often more dramatic than it would be for other kinds of industry, as mines frequently constitute a larger proportion of the local economy. In the classic remote mining town, closing the mine often means closing the town as well. The remoteness often means that there are few or no alternative employment opportunities. Human livelihoods are heavily dependent upon environmental health, and the socioeconomic status of poorer communities in developing countries in particular is tightly bound to the availability of renewable natural resources. Planning for mine closure has tended to focus on the environmental mitigation aspects and costs of closure as the most obvious and manageable aspects of rehabilitation.

However, the social and economic dimensions are increasingly being recognised as critical to the transformation of mines into new opportunities after closure. These socioeconomic issues are challenging to address as they deal with human perceptions, hopes and expectations, as well as the fundamental matters of skills, jobs, local beneficiation and sustained quality of life. A wide range of socio-economic impacts are exacerbated by the closure or wind down of mining activities – these include the impact on the local economy (unemployment, low wages, lack of inward investment), on demographics (emigration of the young and skilled, aging population), on public health (poor housing, unhealthy lifestyles), on education (lack of transferable skills, poor education performance) and the lack of leadership (crime and anti-social behaviour).

There is no single solution to mine closure, but there are some examples of good practice. A constructive analysis of successful case studies and the barriers that prevent wider implementation of the relevant lessons should allow some conclusions about what works and what does not. More robust financial assurance requirements and a broader interpretation of closure planning embedded in legislation may help.

Many developing countries are mineral-rich, skills-poor, and have large, vulnerable populations. If the transformation of closing mines into further opportunities is not addressed the consequent socio-economic problems in these communities can potentially affect entire regions and the economy of states. This workshop draws together a group of international socioeconomic researchers and miners, who will present case studies and approaches relevant to developing a framework for addressing the socio-economic impacts of mine closure in developing countries. The workshop sets out to initiate a robust debate of what works and what does not, where good practice is today and where it might be in the future, and participants will be encouraged to contribute actively to the discussion. The workshop will be led by Caroline Digby, Catherine Macdonald and Carolyn McCommon.

Caroline Digby is Director of the Post-Mining Alliance, an expert team at the Eden Project in Cornwall, set up to work with partners and grass-root community groups to develop better solutions to the problems of mining legacy and mine closure. Prior to Eden, Caroline worked at the International Council on Mining and Metals and the International Institute for Environment and Development on projects to improve the environmental and social performance of the mining industry worldwide. Her particular focus for the last ten years has been on the socio-economic aspects of development, effective community engagement and the role of partnerships in delivering better outcomes. Her early career was with CRU International, initially as a commodity analyst and then as a strategy advisor to the metals and mining industry.

Dr Catherine Macdonald has been working in the community development and social impact filed for over 20 years, more than half of that spent in the mining sector. Catherine has provided social impact/community development advice to extractive industries projects in Australia, Ghana, Indonesia, Laos, Mali, Mongolia, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Senegal and Tanzania. She has reviewed the closure planning process for resource projects in several of these locations. She was the lead researcher on a recent review of closure planning practices by major international metal and mining companies, giving her insight in to current trends in the field. Her doctorate was in modern African social history, focusing in Tanzanian women’s changing roles in the community. Catherine was a lead author in the ICMM/World Bank Community Development Toolkit published in 1995. She has managed her own consultancy since mid-2005.

Dr Carolyn McCommon is an anthropologist with over 25 years experience combining business and commercial acumen with social science to improve decision making. She worked for 10 years as a Global Community Adviser for Rio Tinto plc, based in the London office, in their global business development and community investment programmes. In this capacity, she worked in policy and systems development, project, development, and technical support for new projects through options for decommissioning. Prior to Rio Tinto she worked for 15 years with NGOs and donor agencies in community-based development in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

Closure in practice – International perspectives
(35 minutes each speaker plus 10 minutes for questions)

This session will draw on 45 years combined experience in working on community development, mining and mine closure:

• Trends and necessities - Catherine Macdonald
• Key components of good practice - Carolyn McCommon

Closure in practice – African experience
(20 minutes each speaker plus 10 minutes for questions)

This session will draw on the knowledge and expertise of the following practitioners:

• Clive Norton, Managing Director, Sustainable Villages Africa, South Africa
• Jeffrey Mulabisana, General Manager, Closure of the Oaks mine, De Beers Consolidated Mines, South Africa
• Marie Hoadley, independent consultant, lessons from Namibia
• Paul Sowley, Environmental Manager, Adamus Resources Limited, Ghana - Experience from Ghana, Mali and Tanzania

Roundtable discussions

Using the new ICMM Mine Closure Toolkit as a framework, a facilitated discussion of what works and what does not work on the ground in working with communities facing closure

Report back

Panel discussion with day’s speakers/contributors