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Climate change and mine reclamation in British Columbia

British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium; University of British Columbia. Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

Since the mid-1900s, mining projects have progressively increased in disturbance area, leading to larger project footprints, and mines with longer lifespans or project durations. Some of the major mines operating in British Columbia began modern mining in the 1960s and are anticipated to be active for as long as eighty years. Local, regional, and global climates have already changed since the inception of such long-term projects, and will continue to change as mines approach closure. Historically, reclamation and closure plans for these mines have been designed with the assumption that abiotic environmental conditions and biological communities are static, but these assumptions are no longer considered valid, and there may be additional risks to mining operations and closure if the influence of a changing climate is not explicitly considered in reclamation planning. With the cumulative area of disturbance caused by major mines in British Columbia over 50,000 hectares, it is necessary to ensure that reclamation approaches, regulations, policies, and objectives consider the implications of climate change, and are directed by quantitative and ecologically relevant metrics of success. The BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation is in the process of developing reclamation guidance with a focus on the design of end land use and capability objectives based on pre-mining and reference conditions as well as future climatic scenarios, supporting the integration of climate adaptation into reclamation planning. This paper presents information on current tools and approaches available to support reclamation practitioners in designing for a changing climate. In addition, we discuss some of the key challenges—and potential solutions—that climate change introduces to reclamation practice, including, but not limited to, designing and planning prescriptions with shifting climates in mind as well as the inclusion of ecological and climate relevant metrics-of-success within ecosystem capability objectives for closure.

Conference Paper

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0437478

Non UBC

Other

DSpace