ISO/PWI 8238

Mine closure and reclamation — Social aspects

Scope

To develop an International Standard with complementary documents, which when applied, will mitigate long term impacts and create socioeconomic value from transition to mine closure. The scope of a Social transition for mine closure standard will address five themes. Participation – creates balance where all parties to negotiations are treated equally. Impacts and opportunities – social transition require opportunities as well as risks to be examined early and in an ongoing way. Respecting community identity as tied to places – due to the length of operation, mining becomes part of the community identity so communities must continue to be part of reclamation and closure. When engaging with indigenous peoples, rebuilding and sustaining cultural connections, livelihoods and values are critical Transition – managing change through life cycle of a mine must include social transition to complement the biophysical aspects (that are addressed in other standards in this family of standards SC7). Resourcing for resilience – closure planning must ensure communities have the resources they need to participate in this process, including access to the same expertise that is available to mining companies.
Excluded: Environmental aspects of mine closure and reclamation as they are addressed by separate standards: Mine Closure and Reclamation Management Planning, ISO 21795-1 and 21795-2 2021 and; WG3 Managing Mining Legacies. While the latter addresses social, economic and environmental dimensions of managing (dormant) mining legacies (abandoned, derelict, orphaned, ownerless mines) that standard is applicable to starting from the end of mining to reverse existing harms that are unsustainable. This social transition standard differs from the mining legacy one, by seeking to ensure social transition for mine closure is embedded in how mining is managed from the very beginning of new, and as early as possible in active, mines with the goal of preventing the creation of negative social legacies of mining.
Stakeholders for this standard include but are not limited to the following.
Indigenous land owners: who want to have a say in how cultural values can be conserved and where lost or disturbed, be reinstated. Involving indigenous land owners in transition for closure recognises their connections to places and is part of the process of indigenous reconciliation.
Other land holders: who are impacted by land disturbance by disruptions to livelihoods and amenity causing solastagia “the homesickness you have when you are still at home ” yet need and want to maintain or re-establish connections to places and land uses.
Communities: social connections, cultural ties, employees and pride in reclamation and closure and new jobs in a Just Transition (a term introduced in the context of decarbonising economies with closure of coal mines and coal-fired power stations, but here is applied more broadly to social transition for all mines, preparing for, and implementing closure.
Catchment managers: who seek to have a say in how water values for community use and livelihoods as well as ecological values important to society are managed.
Governments: who are regulatory or tenure issuing agencies and politicians, needing to manage conflicting needs of forward momentum of mining with local disruption to land uses and communities and potential withdrawal of support of a company (social license to mine) due to inadequate management of closure. Governments will seek to smooth social transition for closure through diversified economies, new employment and sustenance of social support networks (health education etc) after mining particularly if the industry has been funding such services while operating and they will cease at mine closure.
Mining companies and industry as a whole: who seek to establish and sustain their social license and seek to build constructive relationships and reputation with communities not only before but during and after mining ceases. To gain approval for new mines based on how well they managed social transition for closure in other jurisdictions.
Professionals: who are engaged in social impact assessment to understand the specific social impacts and opportunities through social transition for mine closure recognising where and how interventions facilitate this transition and how other stakeholders beyond the boundaries of the organisation need to be engaged in the process
Artisanal and small-scale miners: who may be interacting with mining operations and disturbing landscapes or remining already disturbed landscapes particularly relevant in developing nations, need to have their family and community economic and social needs recognised and managed for closure, if/when their livelihoods and revenue source, albeit illegal, are to cease.