Balancing Competing Demands of Mining, Community and Environment to Achieve Sustainable Development in the Mining Sector Final Report APEC Mining Task Force December 2010 APEC Project MTF 04/2009A Prepared by Coal Center, 30 Chungjin‐dong Street (Susong‐dong), Jongno‐gu, Seoul, 110‐727, Republic of Korea Telephone : +82‐2‐3702‐6744, Fax : +82‐2‐3702‐6749 School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology (GIST), 261 Cheomdan‐gwagiro(Oryong‐dong), Buk‐gu, Gwangju 500‐712, Republic of Korea Telephone: +82‐62‐715‐3287, Fax. +82‐62‐715‐2434 Produced For APEC Secretariat 35 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Singapore 119616 Tel: (65) 6891 9600 Fax: (65) 6891 9690 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.apec.org © 2011 APEC Secretariat APEC#211‐SO‐01.1 FOREWORD (This will be used as an ‘endorsement’ form from the Project Overseer which a signature is required.) Sustainable development for the mining sector has become animportant issue tobe considered for APEC region as its major world’s mineral reserves and production. Mining sector has contributed economic development in many economies of the APEC. However, it is challenging APEC economies tobalance the economic growthof miningsector alongwiththe reducingof environmentalimpactsandincreasethequalityoflifeforthecommunity. The mainobjectives of this report are toevaluate competingsustainable development demands withinthe APEC mining sector througha networkof experts inAPEC economies,toexchange a wide range of information, including environmental regulations related to mining, case studies of the impacts from legacy mines and inappropriate mine closures, as well as mine reclamation technologies and leading sustainable development practices relating to mine closures, to provide recommendations on practical applications of sustainable development initiatives relating to mining and mine closures in developing economies, and to develop a reference database on the policies, regulations, standards, and technical guidelines related to mine rehabilitation, reclamation, and mine closure among APEC economies.