Boroo gold is developing responsible mining
Four years ago, on the way when I went on business to Darkhan city, I saw a thrilling picture;
souls were dug and mined everywhere. It looked like bombs exploded there. But today, I saw unbelievable image that the damaged soil was rehabilitated like it was never touched before.
Boroo Gold is among the not many mining companies that have been found to have duly completed rehabilitation work. Boroo Gold is an example of nature friendly mining company. Boroo is owned by the Canadian mining company, Centerra Gold Inc. and began commercial production in March 2004 and produced more than 1.5 million ounces (46t) gold through the end of 2010. The Boroo mine was the first hard-rock gold mine established in Mongolia and the largest foreign investment in the country at that.
For thousands of years Mongolian people have followed a tradition of protecting and respecting their nature as a source of their lives. In the last decade, the development of sectors such as agriculture and mining are increasing, and therefore, their influence on the environment has reached a new peak. Since 2000, mining has become an important and ever-increasing contributor to Mongolia’s economy. The 1997 Minerals’ Law was favorable to foreign direct investment, and economic and government reforms also led to increased foreign investment in Mongolian mineral exploration over the last decade. Although the Minerals Law was revised in 2006, becoming more stringent on foreign investment and putting in place more rigorous environmental protection, the global demand for minerals grew throughout the past years with increasing commodity prices and a longer than usual economic cycle.
Prices for minerals remained high which led to an upsurge in minerals exploration and extraction around the world, particularly in Mongolia. In relation with this increasing development of Mongolia’s minerals sector, however, the nation is witnessing a rapid decline in the availability of fresh water, increases in urban air pollution levels, and wide spread pasture land degradation. In response, the Mongolian government and civil society have begun to engage with industries on responsible resource use, resulting in the “responsible mining”. The principles of responsible mining provide sound guidelines for mining activities in Mongolia.
These guidelines allow the sector to develop profitably while respecting and protecting human and environmental health, providing long-term benefits for all Mongolians.
Mining, particularly surface mining, causes large areas of land to be disturbed. Mine reclamation
is the process of creating useful landscapes from this disturbed land so that it can meet a variety of goals, typically creating productive ecosystems or other land uses. Reclamation includes all aspects of this work, including materials placement, stabilizing, capping, regrading, placing cover soils, re-vegetation, and maintenance. Mine reclamation provides an opportunity to restore mine damaged landscapes to sustainable natural systems or other land uses. If done thoughtfully and deliberately, the process of reclamation can produce major long-term environmental and social benefits for Mongolia’s economy and its people.
The State Inspection Agency (SIA) of Mongolia revealed that a review of mining activities has found that over 2,000 entities failed to fulfill rehabilitation requirements in 2009. But the SIA praised Boroo Gold’s commitment and performance.
The company has rehabilitated 315 hectares. Moreover, Boroo made a research on soil with the scientists and researchers of Biology Academy, Nature friendly Company and Mongolian State University of Agriculture, to define their mine reclamation performance. In all this area under rehabilitation, the soil would need weekly irrigation for 3-4 years to help the 10,860 trees planted to survive, the researchers said and they made a conclusion that after 2-3 years, the rehabilitated areas will have stable productive ecosystem with various plants and animals.
Mining disrupts natural landscapes and habitats when topsoil and overburden are moved to expose resources. Mining activities can alter landforms both structurally and visually.
Sometimes, mining companies remove entire mountaintops during resource extraction. Many pit mines are hundreds of meters deep and many kilometers across. One of the goals of reclamation is to create stable, non-polluting landforms capable of supporting agreed upon, sustainable post-mining land uses. In the natural
environment, forces of wind, water, ice, and gravity cause rocks and soil particles to erode. Mining activities can increase and accelerate erosion as the disturbance of vegetation, soil, and bedrock changes drainage patterns and makes landscapes less stable and more vulnerable to the elements.
According to the research outcomes, the rehabilitated landscape of Boroo has become a home to 76 types of insects, species of amphibian, two species of reptiles, types of mammals and 45 species of birds. Also Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian Jird, a rodent belonging to subfamily Gerbillinae, settled there. It means that the soil of the habilitated landscape converges to its natural basic structure. Thus, because of the Mongolian gerbil’s settlement, various species of birds, which are fed with gerbil, are increasing.
Therefore, over 60 species of flowering plants outgrow there. This mining field is located in timber and steppe transitional territory. Boroo Gold planted monocycle plant, rye in order to support soil stabilization. Last year local residents made hay from the rehabilitated area. Moreover, the landscape has become pasture land.
One part of the Boroo’s mine reclamation is replanting of forest. They have started the project in 2008 and created tree planting field. They have planted over 6000 trees including elm, bushes, aspen and seabuckthorn.
Boroo’s mining operation will finish in 2016. At the moment they are focusing on water quality research. Water is essential to virtually every mining activity. It is also the medium that most often carries pollutants into the surrounding environment. Mining companies are faced with the challenge of ensuring that there are no long-term impacts on surface or groundwater quality once the mine is closed. They are looking for solution of managing waterways and wetlands surrounding mines. Surface water in mining field can have devastating affects on aquatic ecosystems and water quality. That is why Boroo handled and disposed chemicals in ways that will contribute to local residents and environmental harm.
Boroo spends around USD12 to USD15 million on reclamation. The company’s rehabilitation
project covering 207 hectares will be over in 2015 and is estimated to cost USD17.5 million. Current best practices of Boroo Gold recommend that mining plans be linked with reclamation strategies from the very firts stage of mine development. Boroo Gold Company became the best example of responsible mining for other mining companies. We wish that all mining companies who operate in Mongolian territory will perform the mine reclamation and develop the nature friendly mining.
By E.OYUNDARI
souls were dug and mined everywhere. It looked like bombs exploded there. But today, I saw unbelievable image that the damaged soil was rehabilitated like it was never touched before.
Boroo Gold is among the not many mining companies that have been found to have duly completed rehabilitation work. Boroo Gold is an example of nature friendly mining company. Boroo is owned by the Canadian mining company, Centerra Gold Inc. and began commercial production in March 2004 and produced more than 1.5 million ounces (46t) gold through the end of 2010. The Boroo mine was the first hard-rock gold mine established in Mongolia and the largest foreign investment in the country at that.
For thousands of years Mongolian people have followed a tradition of protecting and respecting their nature as a source of their lives. In the last decade, the development of sectors such as agriculture and mining are increasing, and therefore, their influence on the environment has reached a new peak. Since 2000, mining has become an important and ever-increasing contributor to Mongolia’s economy. The 1997 Minerals’ Law was favorable to foreign direct investment, and economic and government reforms also led to increased foreign investment in Mongolian mineral exploration over the last decade. Although the Minerals Law was revised in 2006, becoming more stringent on foreign investment and putting in place more rigorous environmental protection, the global demand for minerals grew throughout the past years with increasing commodity prices and a longer than usual economic cycle.
Prices for minerals remained high which led to an upsurge in minerals exploration and extraction around the world, particularly in Mongolia. In relation with this increasing development of Mongolia’s minerals sector, however, the nation is witnessing a rapid decline in the availability of fresh water, increases in urban air pollution levels, and wide spread pasture land degradation. In response, the Mongolian government and civil society have begun to engage with industries on responsible resource use, resulting in the “responsible mining”. The principles of responsible mining provide sound guidelines for mining activities in Mongolia.
These guidelines allow the sector to develop profitably while respecting and protecting human and environmental health, providing long-term benefits for all Mongolians.
Mining, particularly surface mining, causes large areas of land to be disturbed. Mine reclamation
is the process of creating useful landscapes from this disturbed land so that it can meet a variety of goals, typically creating productive ecosystems or other land uses. Reclamation includes all aspects of this work, including materials placement, stabilizing, capping, regrading, placing cover soils, re-vegetation, and maintenance. Mine reclamation provides an opportunity to restore mine damaged landscapes to sustainable natural systems or other land uses. If done thoughtfully and deliberately, the process of reclamation can produce major long-term environmental and social benefits for Mongolia’s economy and its people.
The State Inspection Agency (SIA) of Mongolia revealed that a review of mining activities has found that over 2,000 entities failed to fulfill rehabilitation requirements in 2009. But the SIA praised Boroo Gold’s commitment and performance.
The company has rehabilitated 315 hectares. Moreover, Boroo made a research on soil with the scientists and researchers of Biology Academy, Nature friendly Company and Mongolian State University of Agriculture, to define their mine reclamation performance. In all this area under rehabilitation, the soil would need weekly irrigation for 3-4 years to help the 10,860 trees planted to survive, the researchers said and they made a conclusion that after 2-3 years, the rehabilitated areas will have stable productive ecosystem with various plants and animals.
Mining disrupts natural landscapes and habitats when topsoil and overburden are moved to expose resources. Mining activities can alter landforms both structurally and visually.
Sometimes, mining companies remove entire mountaintops during resource extraction. Many pit mines are hundreds of meters deep and many kilometers across. One of the goals of reclamation is to create stable, non-polluting landforms capable of supporting agreed upon, sustainable post-mining land uses. In the natural
environment, forces of wind, water, ice, and gravity cause rocks and soil particles to erode. Mining activities can increase and accelerate erosion as the disturbance of vegetation, soil, and bedrock changes drainage patterns and makes landscapes less stable and more vulnerable to the elements.
According to the research outcomes, the rehabilitated landscape of Boroo has become a home to 76 types of insects, species of amphibian, two species of reptiles, types of mammals and 45 species of birds. Also Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian Jird, a rodent belonging to subfamily Gerbillinae, settled there. It means that the soil of the habilitated landscape converges to its natural basic structure. Thus, because of the Mongolian gerbil’s settlement, various species of birds, which are fed with gerbil, are increasing.
Therefore, over 60 species of flowering plants outgrow there. This mining field is located in timber and steppe transitional territory. Boroo Gold planted monocycle plant, rye in order to support soil stabilization. Last year local residents made hay from the rehabilitated area. Moreover, the landscape has become pasture land.
One part of the Boroo’s mine reclamation is replanting of forest. They have started the project in 2008 and created tree planting field. They have planted over 6000 trees including elm, bushes, aspen and seabuckthorn.
Boroo’s mining operation will finish in 2016. At the moment they are focusing on water quality research. Water is essential to virtually every mining activity. It is also the medium that most often carries pollutants into the surrounding environment. Mining companies are faced with the challenge of ensuring that there are no long-term impacts on surface or groundwater quality once the mine is closed. They are looking for solution of managing waterways and wetlands surrounding mines. Surface water in mining field can have devastating affects on aquatic ecosystems and water quality. That is why Boroo handled and disposed chemicals in ways that will contribute to local residents and environmental harm.
Boroo spends around USD12 to USD15 million on reclamation. The company’s rehabilitation
project covering 207 hectares will be over in 2015 and is estimated to cost USD17.5 million. Current best practices of Boroo Gold recommend that mining plans be linked with reclamation strategies from the very firts stage of mine development. Boroo Gold Company became the best example of responsible mining for other mining companies. We wish that all mining companies who operate in Mongolian territory will perform the mine reclamation and develop the nature friendly mining.
By E.OYUNDARI
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