The National Guideline on Minimum Information Requirements for Preparing Environmental Impact Assessments for Mining Activities, published by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs in 2018, aims to standardise and enhance the quality of EIAs for mining projects. It provides detailed guidance to Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs) on best practices for compiling comprehensive EIAs, ultimately aiding the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) in making informed decisions on applications.
- Equip EAPs: The guideline aims to equip EAPs with the knowledge and tools to conduct thorough EIAs for mining projects, leading to better quality applications.
- Standardise Approach: The guideline promotes a more standardised and robust approach to EIA compilation for mining activities, ensuring consistency and improving the quality of information submitted to the DMR.
- Enhanced Decision-Making: The ultimate goal is to provide the DMR with high-quality information to facilitate sound decision-making regarding the environmental authorisation of mining projects.
- Focus on Mining and Prospecting: The guideline specifically addresses EIA requirements for mineral prospecting and extraction activities, excluding petroleum-related activities.
- Pre-Operational Focus: The guideline focuses on the EIA application process for environmental authorisation and doesn't address operational requirements of the mine.
- Mineral-Specific Information: The guideline emphasises the need for additional site, mineral, and project-specific information to be included in the application to ensure completeness.
- Financial Provision Excluded: The guideline does not currently offer guidance on financial provisions for environmental rehabilitation.
The guideline is structured to guide EAPs through the entire EIA process, from project description and motivation to impact assessment and management.
1. Background and Context:
- The guideline provides a background on the regulatory framework governing mining activities in South Africa, highlighting the roles of the MPRDA and NEMA.
- It emphasises the shift in environmental management responsibility from the MPRDA to NEMA in 2014, establishing the DMR as the competent authority for processing EIA applications for mining-related activities.
- Project Introduction: The guideline stresses the importance of a concise project overview including major activities, location, and property details.
- Activity Description: It requires a detailed description of all prospecting/mining activities, including infrastructure needs, to provide the context for impact assessments.
- Project Motivation: The guideline highlights the need for demonstrating the need and desirability of the project based on socio-economic and environmental outcomes, taking into account spatial development frameworks and relevant legislation.
3. Environmental Instruments and Tools:
- Screening Tool Application: The guideline encourages the use of the national screening tool, once operational, to identify environmental issues in the proposed development area.
- Environmental Baseline Description: A comprehensive description of the existing environmental conditions within the project's area of influence is required, including factors like air and water quality, biodiversity, noise, and socio-economic aspects.
- Specialist Studies: The guideline outlines the requirements for specialist studies, emphasizing the importance of selecting qualified specialists and providing clear reporting guidelines.
- Impact Identification and Evaluation: The guideline stresses the need to identify, assess, and rank potential environmental impacts, considering cumulative effects and mitigation measures.
- Deviations from Scoping Report: Any deviations from the approved scoping report and plan of study should be clearly documented and justified.
- Environmental Management Programme (EMPr): The guideline offers guidance on developing a comprehensive EMPr, a crucial document outlining measures for managing environmental impacts throughout the mining life cycle.
- Impact Description and Management: It requires a detailed description of potential environmental impacts and corresponding management measures for each project phase, emphasising alignment with closure objectives.
- Impact Management System: The guideline recommends implementing a structured impact management system, including monitoring and auditing mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of the EMPr.
- Environmental Awareness Plan: It promotes the development of an environmental awareness plan to educate employees about environmental risks and mitigation strategies associated with mining activities.
- Closure Planning: The guideline provides a step-by-step approach for developing a conceptual closure plan, including defining the closure vision, post-closure land use, and infrastructure management.
Relationship with Other Regulations:
- The guideline complements the MPRDA by providing specific guidance on the environmental assessment aspects required for obtaining environmental authorisation for mining projects.
- It aligns with the EIA Regulations (2014) by incorporating requirements for specific reports, such as the Basic Assessment Report, Scoping Report, and Environmental Impact Assessment Report.
The National Guideline is an essential resource for EAPs involved in EIAs for mining projects in South Africa. It provides a structured framework and best practice recommendations to ensure that EIAs are comprehensive, consistent, and informative, ultimately contributing to responsible and sustainable mining development.
