Mining acquisitions have slumped to an eight-year low as the industry’s largest players rein in spending because of the drop in commodities prices. Read on page 18 of this edition of Mining Weekly of the slump impacting on hundreds of exploration and development companies, particularly Canadian. Buyers are deploying capital cautiously, and being bought by a larger miner is proving increasingly elusive. Gold is heading for its first yearly decline in 13 years and the world’s largest gold-mining company, Barrick, sold three mines this month and may sell more. There is a general mood that is against mergers and acquisitions in the gold sector. Overall, 972 mining companies in Canada reported revenue problems in the last 12 months. Although this should spell opportunity, juniors looking for suitors cannot find them. Marginal projects unable to fit the current price environment are expected to disappear.

Meanwhile, it is the well-implemented mining cadastres that can make a difference for governments wanting to attract investment in challenging environments. Read on page 14 of this edition of Mining Weekly of successful mining cadastres needing to achieve balance between protecting the State and the titleholders and of transparency in cadastral management being essential to achieve such balance. Mining cadastre systems in Africa, which are also being faced with managing the interests of artisanal miners, are perking up and the news is out that Zambia will soon be yet another country with an online transactional mining system, in line with those being used in countries such as Canada and Australia. To watch a video on the benefits of a well-implemented mining cadastre system, scan the barcode with TagReader (at www.gettag.mobi) on your cellphone, or go to ‘Video Clips’ on www.miningweekly.com.

The time has come for mining companies to have a dedicated permit team to ensure optimal project success in the current challenging mining environment, De Beers external and corporate affairs executive head Sakhile Ngcobo said last week. Read on page 14 of this edition of Mining Weekly of the views of Ngcobo, who is also a South African Diamonds and Precious Metals Regulator nonexecutive board member. He urges mining companies to update their permit documents continuously.