Integrating the sustainable development goals into post-mining land use selection

Active mines regularly commit to post-mining land uses (PMLUs) several decades before their planned closure, setting closure outcomes and commitments in regulatory instruments during the initial, pre-mining phases. Considering the mounting global challenges of water, energy, food, and livelihood security, as well as climate change, many of these PMLUs may be considered sub-optimal for a future context. Whether new land uses are being defined or existing land uses are being refined, options for PMLUs should be selected using various planning lenses. In this paper, three of these lenses are considered to demonstrate how post-mining landscapes could contribute to addressing complex global challenges through effective mine closure transitions. These lenses are: (i) safe, stable, and non-polluting; (ii) suitable, practicable, and aligned with land capability and local/regional needs, supported by a comprehensive knowledge base; and (iii) integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus. This approach is presented as a proposed conceptual framework, demonstrating how the SDGs can be utilised as a lens for selecting PMLUs, and which of these PMLUs are aligned with addressing water, energy, food, and/or livelihood security, as well as climate change mitigation. Selected case studies are highlighted, after which regulatory considerations and policy recommendations are made.