Indigenous Peoples Issues - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 682

TABLE 16.5
Examples of Community Development Initiatives

Provision of materials and equipment for new education facilities - actual construction undertaken by local people.

Provision of health facilities, personnel, equipment, and medicines.

Provision of transportation equipment, providing better access to markets.

Introduction of new agricultural or horticultural crops, livestock, etc.

Establishment of fi sh farms.

Training in pottery or other arts and crafts, plus supply of equipment.

Training in business management and marketing.

Assistance in establishing ecotourism ventures.

Provision of sewing machines and weaving looms and training in their use.

Provision of expertise, materials, and equipment for irrigation projects.

Provision of refrigeration equipment, facilitating production of fi sh, meat, etc beyond subsistence needs.

● Effectiveness of community health programmes;
● Effectiveness of community development programmes;
● Status of preparations for closure;
● Socio-economic statistics relating to health, education, crime, etc.
In addition, surveys can be undertaken to evaluate community attitudes, including atti-
tudes relating to the mining operation.

Preparing for Mine Closure

Serious adverse social effects can accompany mine closure. When a mine closes, the major-
ity of the non-indigenous workforce usually relocates. However this may not be an accept-
able option for most indigenous workers who will wish to remain on their ancestral lands
within their own community. The community may then be faced with high unemploy-
ment levels at the same time that royalty payments and other sources of income cease.
The lifestyle habits and expectations will also have changed so that the community can-
not be sustained at this level on pre-mining economic arrangements (see also Case 13.12 ).
In a worst case scenario, traditional subsistence skills will have declined during the mining
period and the people may no longer be able to return to a traditional lifestyle. Preparation
and planning to avoid this outcome needs to take place well before closure occurs.
All mines must inevitably close. In most, but not all cases, the time of closure can be rea-
sonably well predicted, enabling the company to work together with the community, and
with government, to prepare for closure.
For most communities there are likely to be three important requirements:

The community may be faced
with high unemployment levels
at the same time that royalty
payments and other sources of
income cease.

In most, but not all cases,
the time of closure can be
reasonably well predicted,
enabling the company to work
together with the community,
and with government, to
prepare for closure.

●

Rehabilitation of the land to a i nal form that is acceptable to the Traditional Owners.
This may or may not involve future use of the land for commercial purposes.

●

Continuation of an income stream to enable the community to be independent. This
requires that money received during operations be prudently invested to provide an
ongoing return.

●

Development of alternative livelihoods for the indigenous workers. As mentioned in the
previous section, this is an outcome of effective community development programmes.