The MEND3 Strategy Session was held on April 11th and 12th in Ottawa, Ontario. The purpose of the session was to bring forward ideas for potential research in the area of acidic drainage and related issues, and to use these recommendations to develop a focussed list of research priorities that could be presented to potential funding organizations for consideration.
Opening remarks emphasized the importance of the outcomes from the Strategy Session for the future of MEND3. The session produced a multitude of recommendations in the areas of Analysis, Modelling and Prediction; Mine Waste Management Practices; Emerging Challenges; and Post-Closure Management, and will provide the MEND3 Steering Committee with information to assist in the development of a focussed research strategy. In addition to stand-alone projects, participants also identified several cross-cutting themes.
MEND’s mandate, as well as its limited resources, makes it difficult to support all research recommendations. Several key issues came out over the period of the workshop.
There is a shift from early work related to control and limitation of liabilities, to a recognition of environmental and sustainable development issues. Participants agreed that MEND should demonstrate adherence to the principles of sustainable development. This included a discussion of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of mining activities, as well as identification of key issues facing society throughout the life of a mine.
There is support and commitment from the group to undertake new research, but to do so there needs to be validation, filling of gaps, and a new philosophy related to mine closure (a legacy exists after mines close down). The group is moving in the right direction, but there should be recognition that priorities have shifted, and that the acronym no longer reflects all the activities the group is interested in. However, the international significance and connections to good mine waste management practices developed in Canada are synonymous with the MEND name.
Workshop participants recognized the value of completing a set of case studies that would build upon existing studies, and provide information about new sites. Verification of MEND developed technologies by long-term monitoring will expand the knowledge base and possibly extend application. Case studies are low-cost projects as they build on pre-existing information. There was support from several individuals to complete a case study.
An overriding and recurring recommendation of the workshop was that the MEND initiative should continue, probably with an expanded mandate beyond acidic drainage issues.
