Sustainable Mining Governance

Social, Environmental and Political Discussions

Jose Dominguez-Gomez, André Xavier, Rocio Moreno, J. Andrés Domínguez-Gómez, Rocio Muñoz-Moreno

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040439470
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Ecology
• Index: Business

This volume provides a transdisciplinary analysis of the political, social and environmental aspects of governance and its implementation in the mining sector.

In a world profoundly shaped by the energy transition and the urgency of climate change, mining faces a dual challenge. On the one hand, it is expected to play a crucial role in the shift toward a more sustainable socioeconomic model. On the other hand, it operates within a context marked by deep economic, social, political, and environmental tensions across multiple territories. This book offers a critical, transdisciplinary, and rigorous exploration of a key concept for understanding this dilemma: governance. Through a theoretical and practical journey—ranging from colonial extractivism to current models of sustainability and corporate responsibility—it provides a comprehensive look at how formal and informal power structures, community relations, social and environmental impact assessments, and regulatory frameworks shape the present and future of mining. With a participatory approach that brings together voices from academia, government, NGOs, and the private sector, the book not only analyses the various dimensions of mining governance but also presents practical examples and case studies to better understand its sociopolitical, environmental, and economic complexity. From the role of the Social License to Operate to mine closure and post-closure planning, and waste management, this work invites readers to rethink mining as a long-term territorial development project.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of the mining and extractive industries, natural resource governance, environmental governance, and sustainable development.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Contributors
• Introduction: understanding mining governance as a key to sustainability
• 1 History of governance in mining: the case of mining in Southwestern Spain: 19th–21st centuries
• 2 Governance and mining governance
• 3 Governance and the social license to operate: a critical perspective
• 4 Socio-environmental impact assessment as a New Governance tool for mining projects
• 5 Governance and social participation in mining projects
• 6 Unveiling gender dynamics for inclusive mining governance
• 7 Critical minerals and the geopolitics of contemporary industrial mining
• 8 Governance issues in artisanal and small-scale mining: current realities and future directions
• 9 Main debates in community mining politics
• 10 From closure to transition: the role of governance and collaboration in post-mining land use planning
• 11 Governance of mining waste: landfills, ponds, by-products
• 12 Water governance challenges in Mongolian Gobi Desert and Forest-Steppe mining regions: unearthing the essentials: bridging information gaps, enhancing communication, and fostering coordination for effective water governance in Mongolian mining regions
• 13 Energy transitions and power in contemporary (and future) mining
• 14 Conclusion
• Index