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Opportunities with mine affected lands for future land use

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

It is well established that our low carbon energy transition necessitates an increased demand in minerals and metals. Meeting this demand requires an increase of extraction and sustainable mining. Recognizing mining as a temporary land use creates an opportunity to recognize the potential mine affected lands can present for future low carbon energy systems, and clean energy storage. Further opportunity is created by recognizing that within each phase of a mine’s lifecycle, a site will transition from one land use to the next, informed by tools and resources that can de-risk financial projections. While historically, at closure, mine affected landscapes have been solely perceived as a source of liability, new mining projects need to take a more evolutionary approach. They need to adapt to changing objectives in the regulatory and economic environment, while meeting expectations of stakeholders, communities, and land rightsholders. They also need to design-in climate change adaptation and resilience, while preserving flexibility for returning land use options. Mine closure and reclamation practitioners are experienced in taking a long-term, full-lifecycle approach to design. In this paper, conceptual and numerical modelling approaches for incorporating climate change into mine affected land remediation projects is presented within the context of mine reclamation to that illustrate how a change in perspective in respect to mine affected lands, brings value to what typically are considered liabilities. When a comprehensive, full-lifecycle approach is taken to mine planning, mining projects can meet our current energy transition and resource demand, while incorporating an adaptive approach to climate change to achieve future land use potential.

Conference Paper

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0437486

Non UBC

Other

DSpace