Steedman, RK 2006, 'Operational Environmental Systems for Mine Closure', in AB Fourie & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2006: Proceedings of the First International Seminar on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 741-750, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/605_65
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/605_65_Steedman/)
Abstract: The International Council on Mining and Metals sixth sustainable development principle, is to “seek 
continual improvement of our environmental improvement of our environmental performance”, which 
includes a commitment to the design and planning of operations so that adequate resources are available to 
meet mine closure requirements. One measure of the mining and metals industry’s contribution to 
sustainable development is its long term environmental performance (Miller, 2005). 
It will be shown that operational observation and forecast systems are well established in earth sciences such 
as meteorology and if applied to mine closure, offer management an effective way to contribute to short and 
long term mine closure environmental obligations. 
Human effects, natural disasters and climate change form a significant part of the environmental risk 
management of mine closure. Understanding and responding to environmental risks over the short and long 
term present a technical and financial challenge. An operational environmental observation and forecast 
system that addresses the management of environmental risks of mine closure will be discussed. 
Effective management of environmental risks requires a rapid detection of changes over a broad spectrum in 
time, space and ecological complexity. The delivery of timely and appropriate information for rapid 
detection, prediction and management of environmental state changes is essential to have a capacity to 
anticipate environmental change and produce desired outcomes. The delivery of information for long term 
environmental performance will be examined.  
A system having the capacity for rapid data acquisition and analysis depends upon: remote and autonomous   
in situ sensing; satellite remote sensing; real time telemetry of physical biological and chemical properties; 
operational models assimilating data with skill and speed; and short and long term forecasting.