• MINING INDABA
Stewardship Water stewardship is today the name of the game , driven by an approach which considers the whole catchment in which a mine is located , and which calls for collaborative planning and action among all stakeholders in that catchment . The minerals sector is among those leading this charge , with global mining players committing themselves to water stewardship principles and actions . This paves the way for involving communities , other mines and businesses , as well as government agencies in the quest to protect water resources and make them available to all who need them .
This is well articulated by the International Council on Mining and Metals ( ICCM ), which lists water stewardship among its environmental resilience commitments . The goal , says the ICMM , is to use water in ways that are socially equitable , environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial .
In addition to emphasising inclusive stakeholder engagement , the ICMM sees water stewardship in the context of maximising benefits to host communities – and minimising negative impacts – so that societal challenges can be more effectively managed . Finally , it links this theme to other vital principles in the journey of responsible mining : human rights ; risk management ; environmental performance ; conservation of biodiversity ; and stakeholder engagement .
Learning Mining is setting itself increasingly ambitious goals in the face of recent global priorities , and it is worth appreciating that these aims have demanded significant innovation and change . As a sector which must prioritise human safety in the face of inherent risk , these changes have all had to be well considered .
At the same time , learning invariably comes with a measure of failure and – without compromising safety – mining has something to learn from our colleagues in more adventurous industries like technology and venture capital . To continue getting better at what we do , new directions must be explored and tested , and not all of these will be successful .
We need not be disheartened , though , as we learn something valuable from every effort , and need to continue supporting those scientifically driven experiments and innovations that the future demands . •
Water stewardship is today the name of the game , driven by an approach which considers the whole catchment in which a mine is located , and which calls for collaborative planning and action among all stakeholders in that catchment .