Maximising sustainable mine closure outcomes requires a business-connected approach that takes full advantage of ongoing human and economic occupation of former mine sites. This is evidenced in the majority of successful mine closures around the world, particularly in well-populated regions. Flying in the face of this experience, current mine closure regulation, planning and implementation frequently focuses on the minutiae of environmental remediation. These two perspectives are laced with inherent tensions and contradictions that, left unresolved, will lead to suboptimal mine closure plans that will be difficult to reset when new ideas and economic options emerge. Companies, communities and regulators faced with mine closure scenarios should explicitly place future economic occupation of mine sites at the forefront of mine closure visioning and leave open future options for creative human enterprise.
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