Issues in the Management of the Socioeconomic Impacts of Mine Closure: A Review of Challenges and Constraints

There is a dearth of empirical literature on the subject of the socioeconomic effects of mine closure. This chapter draws on a limited literature and from fieldwork observations and analysis on the part of the authors to define some of the issues and possible policy solutions. The chapter analyses the range of impacts relevant for both individuals and communities across the issues of income, mobility, skills, health, well-being, and alternative work options. It considers implications of closure for both the formal mine workforce and also the broader network of subcontracted suppliers of goods and services. Examples of "best practice" are highlighted, and some constraints to their "take up" are analysed. The principal conclusions and policy implications include: • Social Impact Assessment (SIA) needs to be ongoing throughout the life phases of the mine and planning for decommissioning, downsizing, and closure needs to begin at the outset based on criteria developed through the SIA. • Closure planning should address effects and solutions for the remote community involved in supplying the industry, as well as the formal and informal workforce of the mine. • Profiles of recruits, recruitment strategies, and human resource development through the mine life need to be included in closure planning to facilitate transition for redundant workers and their families, and broaden the possibilities of future work options. • A post-closure environmental management plan needs to be in place where there is a threat of ongoing contamination/environmental damage, such as acid rock drainage or tailings leaks/slippages, so as to improve possibilities of alternative land uses, particularly farming. • Closure planning could include alternate uses for housing, facilities, and equipment, as well as policies to protect the continuation of social networks and community activities. • Continuous consultation with the community is paramount, assisted by participative approaches to forward planning, so as to involve the community from the outset in addressing eventual closure and future options. • Financial mechanisms need to be in place to ensure sufficient resources exist at the end of the mine's life to implement closure plans and fund appropriate compensation and redundancy schemes. Bonding regulatory systems could cover social as well as environmental issues. • More research is required on the socioeconomic effects of mine closure and their mitigation; and case study analysis needs to inform the drawing of lessons to design best practice corporate strategy and improved public policy. • What capabilities do companies need to develop, and how might different areas of expertise be integrated, to ensure improved planning for closure from the outset and its subsequent implementation? • How might research contribute to the development of indicators that might define the quality of closure plans with regard to the predictions made and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts and responses?.