GUIDANCE FOR GOVERNMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND MINING GOVERNANCE

The guidance focuses on four critical areas of environmental governance in mining: water management, biodiversity protection, mine waste stability, and emergency preparedness. It advocates for a risk-based approach and the use of environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs) to minimize negative impacts. The document also outlines a five-step gap analysis process—review, assess, prioritize, implement, and monitor—to help governments align their national frameworks with international best practices and the IGF Mining Policy Framework.

• Governments are advised to manage water resources at the watershed and regional scales to balance competing demands and protect water quality and availability. Key requirements for mining entities include meeting effluent discharge guideline values and implementing plans to prevent transboundary impacts.
• To protect biodiversity and ecosystem services, governments should integrate the 'mitigation hierarchy'—avoidance, minimization, rehabilitation/restoration, and offsetting—into national legislation and ESIA requirements. The goal is to achieve no net loss, or ideally a net gain, for nature over the life of a mine.
• Mine waste management must prioritize the long-term physical and chemical stability of facilities, such as tailings storage and waste dumps. Governance should include the use of internationally recognized standards, independent expert reviews, and the consideration of climate change scenarios in engineered designs.
• Emergency preparedness and response programs must be developed prior to operations and based on inclusive consultation with stakeholders, particularly vulnerable groups such as women, children, and Indigenous Peoples. These programs should comprise risk assessment, prevention, response, recovery, and crisis communication plans.
• The document proposes a five-step gap analysis process for governments to improve environmental governance: reviewing existing frameworks, assessing strengths and gaps against international practice, prioritizing reforms based on risk, implementing a participative roadmap, and establishing continuous monitoring and evaluation systems.

APA

Crawford, A., Hill, J., & Bliss, M. (2021). GUIDANCE FOR GOVERNMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND MINING GOVERNANCE. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-10/igf-environmental-management-summary-en.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec, Jenifer Hill, and Matthew Bliss. GUIDANCE FOR GOVERNMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND MINING GOVERNANCE. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-10/igf-environmental-management-summary-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |last2=Hill |first2=Jenifer |last3=Bliss |first3=Matthew |title=GUIDANCE FOR GOVERNMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND MINING GOVERNANCE |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-10/igf-environmental-management-summary-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2021guidance, author = {Crawford, Alec and Hill, Jenifer and Bliss, Matthew}, title = {{GUIDANCE FOR GOVERNMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND MINING GOVERNANCE}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-10/igf-environmental-management-summary-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }