Mining can be an important part of national development plans and can contribute significantly to the economic well-being of developing countries—a point emphasized in the l990s by the adoption of new or modified mining policies and legislation in more than 75 countries. These changes have, for the most part, been undertaken to promote foreign investment and to create a stable fiscal and regulatory climate that is conducive to the development of mining activity.
In addition to contributing to the economy, mining can also be a major source of degradation of the physical and social environment unless it is properly managed. These Guidelines are designed to assist policy makers, particularly in developing countries, to encourage mining that promotes sustainable development. The fundamental principles, to which all involved in mining are encouraged to subscribe, were outlined in the 1991 Berlin Guidelines (see Appendix 1). These principles concentrated mainly on the technical and physical aspects of environmental management and have been updated to reflect concerns for social, community and gender issues. The revised principles are shown in the box below.
Best environmental management practice is a process of continuous improvement, which enables individual operations to raise their performance over time. These improvements may be driven by changes in legislative requirements, public expectations, corporate thinking, or by the development of new and improved technology.
Minimizing the impact of a mining operation ideally depends on sound management practices developed within a framework of good environmental legislation. These Guidelines, and the supporting documents, highlight what can be done in terms of regulation, administrative control and mine management to achieve an acceptable level of environmental performance. Training programmes can help to ensure that both government officers and mine staff are familiar with key aspects of these procedures. These Guidelines, the supporting documents and bibliography can be a basis for such programmes. If necessary, UN agencies can further assist countries to organize training programmes.
Fundamental Principles for the Mining Sector (Berlin Guidelines 1991, revised 2000) Governments, mining companies and the minerals industries should as a minimum:
1. Recognize environmental management as a high priority, notably during the licencing process and through the development and implementation of environmental management systems. These should include early and comprehensive environmental impact assessments, pollution control and other preventive and mitigative measures, monitoring and auditing activities, and emergency response procedures.
2. Recognize the importance of socio-economic impact assessments and social planning in mining operations. Social-economic impacts should be taken into account at the earliest stages of project development. Gender issues should also be considered at a policy and project level.
3. Establish environmental accountability in industry and government at the highest management and policy-making levels.
4. Encourage employees at all levels to recognize their responsibility for environmental management and ensure that adequate resources, staff and requisite training are available to implement environmental plans.
5. Ensure the participation of and dialogue with the affected community and other directly interested parties on the environmental and social aspects of all phases of mining activities and include the full participation of women and other marginalized groups.
6. Adopt best practices to minimize environmental degradation, notably in the absence of specific environmental regulations.
7. Adopt environmentally sound technologies in all phases of mining activities and increase the emphasis on the transfer of appropriate technologies that mitigate environmental impacts, including those from small-scale mining operations.
8. Seek to provide additional funds and innovative financial arrangements to improve environmental performance of existing mining operations.
9. Adopt risk analysis and risk management in the development of regulation and in the design, operation, and decommissioning of mining activities, including the handling and disposal of hazardous mining and other wastes.
10. Reinforce the infrastructure, information systems service, training and skills in environmental management in relation to mining activities.
11. Avoid the use of such environmental regulations that act as unnecessary barriers to trade and investment.
12. Recognize the linkages between ecology, socio-cultural conditions and human health and safety, the local community and the natural environment.
13. Evaluate and adopt, wherever appropriate, economic and administrative instruments such as tax incentive policies to encourage the reduction of pollutant emissions and the introduction of innovative technology.
14. Explore the feasibility of reciprocal agreements to reduce transboundary pollution.
15. Encourage long-term mining investment by having clear environmental standards with stable and predictable environmental criteria and procedures.