Abstract/Summary

The economically feasible, environmentally benign and socially acceptable closure of mines is one of the greatest challenges facing the mining industry. Increasingly, the approval of new operations require the demonstration of positive legacies and an ever-stronger social licence to operate. Governments and regulators favour mining companies able to show a proven record of accomplishment of appropriate and successful closure of mines. Although there are many examples of good closure practice, there remain too many that disappoint and it is the latter that generate most public scrutiny and may require costly remedial attention. Consequently, the desire of mining companies to adopt effective practices in mine closure has seen an increase in the financial provisions that are being made for closure. The Mine Closure series of conferences has developed into the premier international annual meeting for the mining industry and, uniquely, has a truly global outlook. The backdrop to Mine Closure has changed constantly since the inception of the series in Perth back in 2006. These new Proceedings bear witness to current developments in global economic, political and societal changes in a post-COVID world. It shows how the industry has risen to meet the challenges of ever developing regulatory controls and societal demands through novel technological instruments and community engagement. This conference will deliver substantial flows of formal and informal knowledge exchange, within and between the many disciplines that make up our Mine Closure community. Together we will expand current thinking, challenge existing doctrine and explore new paradigms in all aspects of Mine Closure. Included here are papers that challenge miners to think of post-mining futures as part of the mining process. Along with numerous case studies and technical advances, this conference will inform, provoke, challenge and educate. This year the conference themes include Landform Design and Rehabilitation, Stakeholder and Communities, Mine Closure Planning, Decommissioning and Waste Management, Site Remediation and Impact Management, Project Management and Execution, Planning, Relinquishment and Legacy Management, Ecosystem Reconstruction, and finally reflecting current interests, a specialist theme on Uranium Mine Closure.