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Molewa launches environmental-impact mitigation guideline for mining industry

22nd May 2013

By: Natalie Greve

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

  

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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa on Wednesday launched a guideline document to provide the mining sector with directives on how to avoid, limit or remedy mining impacts as part of a thorough environmental-impact assessment (EIA) and robust environmental management programme.

The ‘Mining and Biodiversity Guideline: Mainstreaming biodiversity into the mining sector’ report, the launch of which coincided with the International Day for Biological Diversity, established a four-step mitigation hierarchy aimed at encouraging proactive planning to prevent the disturbance of ecosystems and biodiversity as a first approach.

Molewa said the Constitution recognised the vital role of both ecological and mineral resources in a development path, noting that these were not necessarily opposing objectives.

“Rich biodiversity and ecological infrastructure underpins and supports the country’s social and economic development in numerous direct and indirect ways.

“In addition, South Africa’s mining industry also plays a vital role in the growth and development of the country and its economy and tends to have an impact on the country’s biodiversity in ways that are not sustainable,” she commented.

In cases where a loss of biodiversity could not be avoided, the mitigation hierarchy encouraged finding alternative methods in mining that would limit the impact on ecosystem services.

It made further reference to the importance of rehabilitating those areas in which biodiversity loss was unavoidable and could not be minimised, while it only encouraged biodiversity offsets, which were aimed at compensating for the residual negative effects on biodiversity, as a last resort.

“The mitigation hierarchy is, therefore, aimed at enabling mining activities in a manner that would deter loss to biodiversity and ecosystem services.

“While the contribution of the mining industry to the economy remains significant, it must be noted that, similarly, biodiversity makes a significant contribution to the economy,” Molewa commented.

Despite acknowledging that biodiversity was typically undervalued, she put official value estimates at about 7% of gross domestic product. This translated into some R73-billion.

Adding that the mining industry was a long-standing and pivotal driver of South Africa’s economy, the Minister conceded that it also had significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services, often causing irreversible and large-scale habitat loss.

Although a range of legislation existed to avoid such damage, this information was often spread across several guidance documents.

“The guideline brings the ‘gist’ of all the legislation concerning mining and the environment into one document that can be referred to as and when needed. However, it does not seek to exempt the user from complying with the relevant pieces of legislation and should be used as a guide only,” she cautioned.

It offered the user six principles that should be applied in decision-making when dealing with biodiversity issues and impacts in a mining context.

These included applying the law, using the best available biodiversity information, engaging all relevant stakeholders thoroughly and using the best practice EIA to identify, assess and evaluate impacts on biodiversity.

It also included applying the mitigation hierarchy in planning any mining-related activities and in developing robust environmental management programmes.

“These principles, therefore, make broad reference to the various administrative requirements and approvals associated with mining and related activities and provide the user with categories of biodiversity priority areas in relation to their biodiversity importance and implications for mining,” Molewa noted.

The guideline was primarily aimed at environmental managers, exploration managers, project managers, mine managers, environmental assessment practitioners, officials of the departments of Environmental Affairs, Mineral Resources and Water Affairs, as well as conservation authorities.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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