A Water Research Commission (WRC) funded study has developed a Mine Closure Risk Rating System for South Africa, a Mine Closure Risk and Opportunity Atlas for South Africa and a Post-closure Opportunities Framework. All three tools incorporate social, economic, environmental and governance risks and opportunities related to mine closure and will be particularly useful in responding to the just transition. These novel tools support mine closure planning, management and policy-making and can be used by diverse stakeholders in government, industry, civil society, academia and international agencies.
Mine Closure Risk and Opportunity Atlas
The South African Mine Closure Risk and Opportunity Atlas is an interactive online mapping tool for communicating and assessing the likelihood of mine closure and associated social and environmental risks, and for analysing post-closure land use opportunities.
It includes 65 datasets related to operating mines, processing plants, mining host communities, socio-economic profiles, land, water, energy, biodiversity, transport and the economy.
It aims to support decision-making processes and policies at multiple levels regarding mine closure and post-closure land use development.
It is intended to help government departments, civil society, mining community members, mining companies, consultants, investors and researchers gain a better understanding of the risks and opportunities related to mine closure across the country.
You can access the Atlas here - Mine Closure Risk and Opportunity Atlas
Download The Mine Closure Risk and Opportunity Atlas User Guide
The technical report, "Developing mine closure risk ratings and a post-closure opportunities framework for South Africa (WRC Report No. TT930)"
For more information contact Research Manager, John Zvimba at email: johnz@wrc.org.za.