Restoring the Land: The Mining Reclamation Challenge

Mining is theoretically a short-term activity. Mines extract resources, invest in their community's, and produce value then fade into the past. This is the goal of every mine, but the reality is significantly different. Mines change the landscape and subsurface. Learning how we manage this, plan for the inevitable alteration, and design for post-mine life represents a major knowledge gap. The reclamation of mined lands is a relatively new concept across the globe but has grown incredibly important in a short period of time and will only increase in significance. Planning for mined lands to be used after the mine has closed requires an evaluation of the dynamics between communities, governments, and companies and is difficult to complete. This episode explores this space in the Australian context and outlines the most pressing challenges we face.

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