BERLIN GUIDELINES

ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES FOR MINING OPERATIONS

The first edition of Environmental Guidelines for Mining Operations was published in 1994, as a useful outcome to the 1991 Berlin Round Table on Mining and the Environment organized by the United Nations and the German Foundation for International Development.

Since the publication of the first edition of the Guidelines, continuing changes have occurred within the mining sector - particularly in the evolution of legal, fiscal and regulatory policies, accompanying the trend of liberalization and privatization of the industry.

In the policy arena, national and international conventions and standards, corporate trends, voluntary industry codes and the increasing use of environmental management systems have also contributed to changes in the regulation of the mining sector. This second edition of the Guidelines builds on the first, reflecting these changes and looks at them in the context of developments in more formal legislation.

These Guidelines address: mining and sustainable development; regulatory frameworks; environmental management; voluntary undertakings; and community consultation and development; as applied to all stages of a mining operation comprising: exploration; operation; decommissioning; and closure and rehabilitation; and include a section on small-scale and artisanal mining.

The increasingly integrated and collaborative nature of sustainable development programmes means that all those involved -- governments, companies, labour unions, communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) -- need to understand the interlocking nature of the various individual tools and concepts described in these Guidelines.

It is also essential that different government departments at all levels work together in close cooperation to achieve a project that brings long-term gains to the region and the country while minimizing environmental and social costs. The information contained in these Guidelines consists of recent examples of environmental legislation and management practices from countries around the world, which have an existing mining industry. Many of the examples reflect the legal and administrative context of the country from which they are drawn. As such, they should not be taken as blueprints simply to be copied elsewhere, but should be adapted to suit country-specific conditions. Each country must decide for itself how to construct and implement its own regulatory framework.

These Guidelines are intended to provide general guidance for sound and sustainable management and are not a prescriptive manual. They should be amended and improved according to the specific needs of each country. They are meant to be of assistance to regulators, practitioners, managers, government officials, mining companies and others interested in the mining industry.

The meeting's conclusions and recommendations are available in English and Spanish.