Mining Projects – Best Practices in Risk Management

Mine development involves managing a growing number of risks associated with the exploitation of mineral potential. Nowadays, it is essential to build a relationship of trust with local and indigenous communities from the earliest stages of exploration. The resource must be found, defined and evaluated, in terms of both quantity and quality. The project must be financed at every stage of its development, and some stages, such as basic exploration or development, are more difficult. Then, before a decision is made to begin mining, resource extraction and land reclamation must be planned. For many critical and strategic minerals, processes must also be developed to concentrate the ore and then transform it. Finally, a treatment plan for liquid effluents and solid tailings must also be designed to minimize the environmental impact on receiving environments. Given the increasing complexity of the task we face in developing a project, how can we manage to take into account all the risks involved, and what are the best practices for doing so?