Legal Framework of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in the Mining Sector

The closure plan and final rehabilitation must include: (i) a summary of the main points and conclusions, including closure targets, timetables and financial guarantees; (ii) a description of the context of the closure which includes the history of the mining company and its operations; (iii) a detailed description of the mining facilities; (iv) a description of the social and environmental charac [...] In addition to taking into account the concerns of the communities in the establishment and implementation of policies and development projects, it at the same time allows for citizen participation and the sharing of local and traditional knowledge related to the physical environment and the social fabric (Lanmafankpotin et al., 2013). [...] The first is the extent of the discretion of the public authority that rejects a mining project on the basis of the findings of an ESIA. [...] The granting of such a guarantee may seem obvious from a purely financial point of view as well as from the point of view of the promotion of mining exploration projects: the company that takes the risk of investing in exploration must reap the benefits in the event of success (discovery of a deposit). [...] When these documents are required at the appropriate time, i.e., before the granting of the exploitation permit, the main issue is then the inclusion of these standards into the mining regulations of the countries, as well as into the practices of the industry.