Abstract
Planning for closure from the beginning of a project is essential to minimise negative environmental impacts and optimise post-closure land use opportunities and social transition outcomes. Knowledge retention at the start of a project should be viewed as a risk mitigation measure, as it has the potential to avoid financial and reputational damages in the future. If the characteristics of waste materials are adequately understood, in addition to where that material has been stored, then there are potential circular economy benefits should there be a future recoverable resource from this material. This resource or value may not be recognized initially but there could be future unforeseen value in the waste material. Capturing raw information in databases at the start of a project ensures data accuracy, integrity and consistency. Effective knowledge retention is not just about preserving information, it ensures that organizational wisdom continues to benefit environmental and economic decisions across the life of the mine.
The environmental geochemistry risks need to be effectively translated into management strategies that minimise risk and communicated via numerous methods to all stakeholders. There has been an increasing need for transparent communication on mine closure outcomes to all stakeholders. Examples of environmental geochemistry information storage and subsequent translation to non-geochemists or non-technical audiences are provided in this paper.