Impacts of mine closure and the potential of impact assessment to enable post-mining transition

Mine closure generates social, environmental, and economic impacts that standard project-level impact assessment (IA) often overlooks. Despite this, the role of IA in guiding mine closure planning, particularly in relation to post-mining transition (PMT), remains underexplored. This study investigates the significance of mine closure impacts and explores the potential of IA to inform closure planning. A typology of fifty-four positive and negative impacts was developed and used to conduct a global expert survey. This survey evaluated impact significance and collected qualitative insights on additional impacts, challenges, and opportunities for IA. Results indicate that experts recognize closure impacts while showing divergence in their perceived significance. Experts affirmed the value of IA but highlighted gaps such as weak regulatory frameworks and limited integration of closure in early project planning. The analysis identifies critical impacts and delineates a dual application of IA. Proactive IA applies to new mines by integrating closure planning from project inception, while retrospective IA addresses legacy mines as a diagnostic tool for unresolved liabilities. Implementing IA as an adaptive and participatory process rooted in justice, equity, and sustainability can improve closure planning and enhance sustainable PMT outcomes.