Session Topics & Descriptions

 

This symposium will identify and tackle emerging issues and challenges in applying impact assessment in the mining sector through eight focused plenary sessions over two days. Leading examples and case studies will be used to provoke discussion and a solutions-oriented debate to advance and improve practice.  It will bring together companies, regulators, lenders, consultants, and civil society to contribute to this discussion.  The information, case studies, and lessons learned from this forum will be used by IAIA to produce symposium proceedings capturing the outcomes and contributing to general knowledge on emerging best practice.

Please see the Final Program for full event details.


Session 1  |  Tools, methodologies, and approaches of impact assessment in the mining life cycle: Case studies

The session will discuss case studies focusing on approaches specifically developed to address the complex issues of mining projects. The case studies will cover several geographic regions and issues including social justice, human rights, biodiversity conservation, water management, and long term economic benefits.

 

Chairs: Alistair Fulton, ERM, and Roberto Mezzalama, Golder Associates

Presentations:

ESHIA for a Mining Development in Brazil (Katie Miller and Jeremy Martin, Horizonte Minerals)

Digital ESHIA (Simon Tillotson, ERM)

Proportionate ESHIA for Mining (Alistair Billington and Tom Clayton, IEMA)

 


Session 2  |  Community and stakeholder engagement: From exploration to mine closure

This session will provide a forum to discuss and debate the approach to stakeholder engagement at different stages of a mining project.  It will discuss challenges to early engagement and will present industry best practices around stakeholder identification, planning and engagement.

 

Chairs: Tricia Wilhelm, Anglo American, and Susan Joyce, On Common Ground

Presentations:

Multi-stakeholder dialogue process in Peru (Froydis Cameron-Johansson, Anglo American)

The development forum process in the Papua New Guinean mining industry (Nick Bainton, CSRM)

IA as a tool for life of mine management of community and stakeholder engagement (Ana Maria Esteves, Community Insights Group)

 


Session 3  |  From planning to completion: Managing biodiversity risks in the mining sector

This session will address the challenges and opportunities for managing biodiversity risks in the mining sector. Using a series of case studies, panellists will highlight key issues facing today’s practitioners for integrating biodiversity conservation and risk management practices into the planning, construction, operational and rehabilitation/closure stages of mining projects.

 

Chairs: Peter Moore, EBRD, and Nicola Faulks, SLR Consulting

Presentations:

Challenges with biodiversity baselines (Jared Hardner, Hardner and Gullison Associates)

Finding win-win solutions using the IA process (Alice Davies, SRK Consulting)

Independent panels and environmental challenges (Rachel Asante-Owusu, IUCN)

Net gain/no net loss in a data poor environment (David Hamilton, Oyu Tolgoi/Rio Tinto)

Forest Smart Mining: Identifying factors associated with the impacts of mining on forests and principles for good practice (Pippa Howard, Fauna and Flora International)

 


Session 4  |  When the rubber hits the road: The practical challenges of complying with E&S standards and meeting evolving societal expectations

This panel session will highlight (i) the stark realities of working concurrently through local and international ESIA approval processes; and (ii) the associated challenges of developing collaborative partnerships between mining companies and a variety of local stakeholders, consultants, government regulators and project financiers.

 

Chair:    Kevin D’Souza, Vice President Security, Sustainability & Environment, Centerra Gold Inc.

Panelists:             

David Williamson, Associate Director, Head of ESD Operations, EBRD

Trine Pertou Mach, Head of Economic Development for Peace, International Alert

Fiona Cessford, Corporate Consultant (E&S Management), SRK Consulting

 


Session 5  |  Innovation and technology in impact assessment and the permitting process

The evolutionary development of ESIAs in the mining sector has been driven in part by the increased complexity of multi-faceted decisions and the wider range of stakeholders who seek transparency and informed decision making. This session will examine both innovation and technological advancements in impact assessment including topics such as:  Smart Data; Application of Geochemical Advancements; Use/Application of Drone Technology; and Management of Risk.

 

Chairs: James McNally, SLR Consulting, and Jeff Jeter, EBRD

Presentations:

Innovative and practical methods to assess geochemistry and weathering characteristics for design of mine (Joe Crummy, Euromax Resources)

Water conservation in an arid environment (David Hamilton, Oyu Tolgoi/Rio Tinto)

Combining remote sensing and virtual technology (Gary Krieger, Newfields)

The value of computerized visual simulations in impact assessment (Tomasz Wlodarczyk, SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd.)

 


Session 6  |  Integrating new approaches to gender in mining

This session will discuss how mining can positively contribute to  gender equality. Programs and activities to support gender equality in the mining sector are an important step towards maximizing benefits, but this must go hand in hand with measuring and monitoring the impact of these programs. This session will discuss the gender differentiated impacts that a mining project will likely have on local communities and new tools to help companies increase gender equality, and how to measure the impact of these tools and programs. The session will present new research and tools including  Oxfam’s “Guide to Gender Impact Assessment for the Extractive Industries” and a new IFC publication, “Unlocking Opportunities for Women and Business: A Toolkit of Actions and Strategies for Oil, Gas, and Mining Companies,” which helps companies plan, implement, and monitor gender diversity initiatives.

 

Chair:    Greg Radford, Director, IGF

Panelists:

Gillian Davidson, Sustainability Executive and Board Director

Maria Ezpeleta, Gender Advisor, Extractive Industries, Oxfam America

Katherine Heller, Senior Gender Specialist Consultant, IFC

 


Session 7  |  Safeguarding community well-being and health in mining projects

 

The mining sector can generate positive as well as negative impacts on communities’ health and well-being. Often these impacts are mediated by changes in the environmental, socio economic, and governance conditions surrounding mining investments. Therefore, community health and well-being should always be considered using a wider perspective and a comprehensive approach. The session will explore how ESHIA, by addressing the wider determinants of health, can promote local sustainable development and stimulate health equity.

 

Chairs: Francesca Viliani, International SOS, and Susan Joyce, On Common Ground

Presentations:

The experience of including health impacts in EIAs of coal mines in Australia: Navigating power dynamics in policy (Patrick Harris, PhD, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, Sydney Medical School)

Without health there is nothing to mine (Janis Shandro, PhD, University of Victoria and Arrowsmith Gold)

HIA and the Community Health Action Plan: The Tenke Fungurume Mining Project in the DRC (Edouard Swana, PhD, International SOS)

 


Session 8  |  Innovations in social closure

Mine closure has historically focused on environmental impact management. Best practices are emerging around the world which entails a more holistic view of closure including socioeconomic impact assessment, multi-stakeholder land use planning, and investments in economic diversification and sustainable development. This session will feature speakers with experience with various stages of closure in diverse operating contexts who will share their innovative approaches to planning, implementation and monitoring.

 

Chair:  Caroline Rossignol, Lundin Mining

Presentations:

Social transitioning: Closure good practice guidance and collaboration (Dawn Brock, ICMM)

State of the art in mine social closure: Practices, problems, and way forward (Ed O’Keefe, Synergy Global Consulting)

Land use planning: The heart of social closure (Gordon Harris, SFU Community Trust)

Economic diversification initiatives to support social closure planning (Erin Johnston, Lundin Mining Foundation)

 


 

Go Back