Properly reclaiming mine sites worldwide

VANCOUVER, BC (NOVEMBER 13, 2024) – Mines the world over will now have clear direction on how to ensure their operations result in properly reclaimed landscapes, thanks to a landmark guidance document being released today by the Landform Design Institute (LDI).

Developing a Design Basis Memorandum for Landform Design provides instructions on how to set a vision for a reclaimed landform or mine site, including establishing the goals, objectives, and design criteria needed to support that vision. The new guidance document is intended to be used for the design and assessment of individual mining landforms and for closure planning.

The guide will improve the likelihood of mines achieving signoff, which currently suffers from poor alignment among the mining company, the regulator, and Indigenous and local communities regarding expectations for the design, construction, and performance of reclaimed lands and the reclaimed mine site overall.

“DBMs have several inter-related aims, among them the involvement of local communities and Indigenous Peoples, the acceleration of mine approvals, supporting mine operations, and improving mine closure outcomes,” reads the document, which was reviewed prior to publication by several experienced landform design practitioners in Canada and abroad.

The guidance document is the work of a dedicated team of engineers and geologists that formed in November of 2022 at the LDI short course in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In November, the Institute is launching an on-line short course devoted exclusively to preparing a DBM.

“Mines need to be producing DBMs for every site,” said LDI Chair Gord McKenna. “This guidance ensures that from the outset of mining, there is a clear and agreed upon understanding of the land’s intended use and expected performance after mining.”

Producing a DBM constitutes one of the Institute’s 12 principles of landform design, which were recently updated and are described in detail in the current season of the “Getting Closure” podcast hosted by LDI board member Mike O’Kane. In a special three-part series, O’Kane and McKenna debate the merits of each principle.

The Landform Design Institute is a not-for-profit organization established five years ago to make landform design routine in the mining industry worldwide by 2030. Landscape design is an emerging process to reconstruct mine landscapes with confidence and pride.

NT5