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zo-21-79b26b675d8a9e13.pdf
A letter from the law firm Webber Wentzel, acting on behalf of the Centre for Environmental Rights, requesting the Record of Decision (ROD) from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) regarding an appeal to extend mining operations at the Tormin mine on the West Coast.
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Document type: Statement
zo-24-47e3e77d0a82bb29.pdf
A consent and power of attorney issued by the South African Department of Mineral Resources on June 19, 2020, authorizing the addition of magnetite to mining rights held by Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd and Tormin Mineral Sands (Pty) Ltd, and extending the mining area for Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd.
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Document type: Statement
zo-27-5b1e25380a853e4a.pdf
This briefing informs the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment regarding four appeals against an Integrated Environmental Authorisation (IEA) granted on 7 June 2019 to Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd for heavy mineral mining in the Western Cape Province. The briefing recommends dismissing three of the appeals and upholding one (excluding grounds regarding map accuracy), which would result in a variation of the original IEA.
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Document type: Briefing
zo-3-41f4da3a0527bd78.pdf
A notification letter dated 30 October 2020 from Webber Wentzel, acting on behalf of the Centre for Environmental Rights, to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and the Director-General of the Department of Minerals and Energy regarding an internal appeal under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA).
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Document type: Statement
zo-40-8a30a51be886cbdd.pdf
This guide outlines a four-tier classification system for biodiversity priority areas to regulate mining activities. It specifies that mining is generally prohibited in the highest-importance areas (e.g., National Parks and Ramsar Sites) and requires rigorous environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and potential biodiversity offsets for areas of high or moderate importance to ensure environmental sustainability.
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Document type: Guide
zo-41-9f1d004e7669e639.pdf
This guide outlines the criteria and risk assessments for mining activities within high-importance biodiversity priority areas. It establishes a rigorous set of filters and a risk-averse approach to determine if mining is an optimal land use compared to the preservation of critical ecosystems and water resources.
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Document type: Guide
zo-45-d19beb683aa0c374.pdf
This document is a communication from the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to the Centre for Environmental Rights regarding a request for access to information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000.
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Document type: Statement
zo-48-182ba69fba0e1438.pdf
This document is an addendum to an Integrated Environmental Authorisation (IEA) issued by the South African Department of Mineral Resources to Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd. It implements amendments to the original IEA following an appeal decision by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
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Document type: Statement
zo-5-expert-affidavit-of-nick-helme-ea6d2b3c9b16a9f0.pdf
This document consists of an expert affidavit and a supporting statement by botanical consultant Nick Helme, provided to the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER). Helme critiques the environmental impact assessments for the expansion of the Tormin Mine, arguing that the failure to conduct site visits during the optimum spring flowering season led to an underestimation of the botanical sensitivity and the presence of Species of Conservation Concern (SCC) in the development footprints.
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Document type: Statement
zo-6-expert-affidavit-of-peter-carrick-b7e481cdac452110.pdf
Expert affidavit by ecological scientist Peter Carrick regarding the proposed expansion of the Tormin Mine on the West Coast of South Africa. Carrick critiques the Terrestrial Ecology Specialist Study (Todd 2018), arguing that the proposed rehabilitation and restoration plans lack specialist knowledge and specific, measurable targets necessary to protect biodiversity and ecological integrity in the Namaqualand Strandveld.
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Document type: Statement
zo-7-expert-affidavit-of-merle-sowman-17fdb002818a1e41.pdf
This expert affidavit by Associate Professor Merle Rozanne Sowman supports an application by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) to suspend a decision allowing Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd (MSR) to expand its Tormin Mine operations on the South African West Coast. Professor Sowman argues that the expansion, which includes ten beaches and inland mining on Farm Geelwal Karoo 262, is causing accelerated cliff erosion and marine sediment pollution, while failing to adequately assess cumulative environmental impacts across MSR's broader regional applications.
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Document type: Statement
zuma-letter-to-the-na-re-mprda-bill-7437021b7e16bd1b.pdf
A letter from President Jacob Zuma to the Speaker of the National Assembly dated 16 January 2015, referring the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill back to the National Assembly for reconsideration due to concerns regarding its constitutionality and legal compliance.
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Document type: Statement
ESCRITO DE AMICUS CURIAE
This amicus curiae brief, submitted by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), supports petitioners Miguel Ignacio Fredes González and Andrea Tuczek Fries in their claim against Chile. The document argues that the Chilean government violated the right to access information by providing incomplete data regarding the location and nature of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) released into the environment. CIEL provides technical details on the scientific uncertainty and risks associated with GMOs and analyzes international legal frameworks—including the Cartagena Protocol and the Aarhus Convention—to assert that transparency and public participation are essential for managing biosafety risks.
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Document type: Report
Human Rights Impacts of Mercury Pollution
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the intersection of mercury pollution and human rights, detailing the neurotoxic effects of various forms of mercury and how these impacts violate the rights to life, health, food, and information, particularly for children and workers in artisanal mining.
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Document type: Report
La contaminación por mercurio y los derechos humanos
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the adverse health effects of mercury pollution and its implications for fundamental human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, and information. It highlights the vulnerability of children and fetuses, the impact of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and specific historical disasters such as the Minamata event.
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Document type: Report
hre_biography_1992-ed79b95ce9ea4dfc.pdf
This document is a selected bibliography titled "HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY," compiled by David Downes for the Center for International Environmental Law and dated July 1, 1992. It provides a curated list of legal cases, United Nations reports, World Bank operational directives, and academic literature concerning the intersection of human rights, indigenous peoples' rights, and environmental protection.
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Document type: Fact sheet
El párrafo 19 de la Declaración de Doha hacia Hong Kong: ¿Un paso adelante para el respaldo mutuo entre el Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC y el Convention sobre la Diversidad Biológica?
This research paper examines the push by developing countries to incorporate a mandatory disclosure of origin for biological resources and traditional knowledge into the TRIPS Agreement. This effort aims to prevent the misappropriation of genetic resources and ensure compatibility with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB). While there is growing consensus among many developing nations and some support from the European Union and Switzerland, opposition remains from the United States and Japan.
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Document type: Research paper
Reform Options for ISDS
This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law outlines several reform options for Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) to be considered by UNCITRAL Working Group III. The document argues that current ISDS mechanisms are asymmetrical, often ignoring state obligations and public interest, and proposes alternatives such as multilateral treaty termination, the allowance of state counterclaims, public interest carve-outs, 'clean hands' clauses for investors, the requirement to exhaust local remedies, and expanded third-party access to proceedings.
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Document type: Briefing
THE WHO & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN BILATERAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS
This statement from the Center for International Environmental Law argues that the World Health Organization (WHO) must actively analyze and intervene in the intellectual property (IP) provisions of bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs). The document asserts that these agreements often impose standards that exceed the TRIPS Agreement, potentially undermining the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health and restricting access to affordable medicines in developing countries.
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Document type: Statement
50494e0e-5a32-46d6-ba6c-8d06bfe09001-e8ee5c85a2649b36.pdf
This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative details the rapid growth of the labeled green bond market in 2014, which saw issuance triple from the previous year to 366 billion USD, driven by international financial institutions, corporations, and municipal issuers.
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Document type: Report