Gestión de desechos mineros: Estudio de casos de Ghana y Canadá

This case study compares mine waste management in Ghana and British Columbia, Canada, highlighting the importance of risk-based legal frameworks. Ghana is noted for its strong environmental assessment processes and efforts to formalize artisanal mining via satellite monitoring, though it needs better corporate accountability. British Columbia's framework, significantly strengthened after the 2014 Mount Polley dam breach, is highlighted for its rigorous technical standards, independent review boards, and a dedicated government audit unit to ensure regulatory effectiveness.

• Effective mine waste management requires a comprehensive legal framework based on a 'plan-do-check-act' process. Key policy components include clear management standards, specific technical requirements for tailings facilities, corporate accountability, pre-approval review of waste management plans, financial mechanisms for long-term risk, and sufficient human and financial resources for enforcement.
• Ghana's mine waste governance is built on a foundation of environmental assessments and mining laws, including the 1992 Constitution, the 1994 Environmental Protection Agency Act, and the 2012 Minerals and Mining (Health, Safety and Technical) Regulations. While it has exhaustive requirements for design and planning, it faces challenges in transparency, public information sharing, and the need for stronger 'polluter pays' clauses to reduce government risk.
• To address the high environmental risks of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), Ghana's Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources launched the Multilateral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP). This initiative uses satellite imagery to locate and control ASM activities, which saw an average conversion of -2,600 ha/year in southwest Ghana between 2005 and 2019.
• British Columbia, Canada, maintains one of the world's most comprehensive tailings storage facility regulations, aligned with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. Its framework includes the 2016 Dam Safety Regulation and the 2021 Health, Safety and Reclamation Code, which mandate the appointment of an Independent Tailings Review Board and a Engineer of Record for all facilities.
• The 2014 Mount Polley tailings dam breach in British Columbia, caused by an unidentified weak clay layer in the foundations, led to significant regulatory reforms. These include making physical stability the primary objective in the design phase, requiring the extraction of water from tailings, and mandating risk assessments and flood studies before facility approval.
• British Columbia has implemented a systemic audit process to ensure regulatory effectiveness, including the creation of the Mine Audits and Effectiveness Unit in 2020 and a 2019 budget allocation of 20 million Canadian dollars for regulatory effectiveness. This allows the province to identify subtle gaps in the legal framework and separate enforcement from the permitting process.

APA

Hill, J., & Gillman, M. (2021). Gestión de desechos mineros: Estudio de casos de Ghana y Canadá. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-05/igf-case-study-mine-waste-management-canada-ghana-es.pdf

Chicago

Hill, Jenifer, and Matthew Gillman. Gestión de desechos mineros: Estudio de casos de Ghana y Canadá. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-05/igf-case-study-mine-waste-management-canada-ghana-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hill |first1=Jenifer |last2=Gillman |first2=Matthew |title=Gestión de desechos mineros: Estudio de casos de Ghana y Canadá |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-05/igf-case-study-mine-waste-management-canada-ghana-es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hill2021gestin, author = {Hill, Jenifer and Gillman, Matthew}, title = {{Gestión de desechos mineros: Estudio de casos de Ghana y Canadá}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-05/igf-case-study-mine-waste-management-canada-ghana-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }