RECLAMATION
Cwmtillery Reservoir near Abertilley, South Wales, U.K., is located on reclaimed industrial land. CREDIT: CHRISTOPHER JONES/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
MINING with the END in MIND
The Landform Design Institute shares principles and strategies for successful reclamation By June Pollard and Gord McKenna
T
he Landform Design Institute (LDI) helps the mining industry, regulators, Indigenous and local communities, and academia work together to move beyond the status quo, mainly by fostering a global community of reclamation practitioners and providing landform design “how-to” publications and training. At the institute’s inaugural landform design workshop held shortly after its founding in October 2019, we asked the seasoned reclamation participants, “What do you worry about? What keeps you up at night?” The group responded, “We spend millions of dollars and create beautiful reclamation, but we’re stuck 24 | CANADIAN
MINING JOURNAL
without signoff or our bond money back, and the users can’t get back on the land.” The LDI’s subsequent gap analysis provided some of the insights as to why: a lack of a shared vision and goals, little financial incentive for progressive reclamation, and concerns about residual risk. And despite a rich body of literature in what ought to be done, there is little practical, how-to, boots-on-the-ground guidance. Instead, each mine develops its own local knowhow and practices. Landform design elevates existing practices to achieve successful reclamation. It is the integrated, multidisciplinary design and construction of mining landforms and landscapes, directed by a dedicated team working with different mine
operations groups and others over the life of the mine and beyond. The team’s focus is on reclamation that will steadily fulfill the specific vision, goals, and objectives of the mining company, the regulator, and Indigenous and local communities. Collaboration: planning, integration, governance At its most basic level, mining with the end in mind means recognizing, and constantly reinforcing, the intended end result for the land. For example, while the need to transform waste rock and tailings facilities into something resembling natural landforms is widely acknowledged, sustainable mining involves incorporating and implementing these measures into mine operations www.canadianminingjournal.com
