Comparative approaches to mine closure governance in Latin America

• In Event: Comparative mining governance in Latin America: problems of theory and methodology

Abstract

Successful mine closure and reclamation processes have various definitions in jurisdictions around the world. This paper examines and compares aspects of mine closure governance at national and regional levels in Latin America, focusing on what constitutes ‘good’ mine closure in the overlapping contexts of political (de)centralization, growing market demands, and environmental change. Drawing on case studies from Colombia and Chile, among other countries, this paper reviews mine closure policies, regulatory regimes, and operating practices.
It concludes by identifying some key criteria and objectives in the development or revision of approaches to mine closure governance in this diverse geographic region, and, further, articulates some of the methodological challenges specific to the comparative study of mine closure processes in Latin America.

Author

• Gillian Gregory, University of Melbourne