ABANDONED MINES WORKSHOP REPORT

In April 2001, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Chilean Copper Commission (COCHILCO) discussed the possibility of co-hosting a Workshop on Abandoned Mines, to be held just before a COCHILCO-Mining Ministries of the Americas (CAMMA) Pan-American Workshop on Mine Closure.

Mining is an economic activity that has been practised in the Americas for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years, attracted by the regions rich deposits which include gold, silver and copper. However, mine closure is an aspect of mining where historic practices and contemporary, evolving community and government expectations do not coincide. The need to deal with the closure issue is increasing, owing to public health and safety issues and, more recently, to increased awareness of environmental contamination and the importance of environmental preservation. Inadequate, improper or neglected mine closure results in abandoned mine site problems. Abandoned mines and mine closure issues can therefore be considered as two sides of the same coin.

The topic of abandoned mines is also difficult because of the associated financial and legal liability implications. UNEP has been trying to raise the profile of this important but so far neglected issue for a number of years, and was pleased to have the opportunity to co-sponsor this Workshop with COCHILCO.

The Workshop, which was attended by government representatives of ten countries, was the first international meeting to consider the many issues surrounding the topic of abandoned mines. What exactly are abandoned or orphaned mines? Are these terms interchangeable? What are the environmental and social risks related to abandoned mines? What kind of criteria are needed to prioritize these risks? Is a regional or global inventory a prerequisite for action? What are the legal liability issues? What types of financial mechanisms exist? And, most importantly, who will pay to mitigate these sites?

The Workshop questionnaire, papers and presentations, together with this Summary Report, provide a resource for all stakeholders who wish to carry this discussion forward, either nationally, regionally or internationally. All available papers are available on the websites of UNEP (http://www.mineralresourcesforum.org) and COCHILCO (http://www.cochilco.cl).

UNEP and COCHILCO hope that the summary of this Workshop will provide a good starting point for future international discussions, as it is only through partnerships that the goal of environmentally sensitive, socially responsible, sustainable mineral development will occur.

Please download the Workshop Report for details.