The Canadian MEND Program - The First Twenty-Five Years

摘要

Acidic drainage has long been recognized as the largest environmental liability facing the mining industry, and the public through abandoned mines. In 1989, provincial and federal governments, and the Canadian mining industry formed a consortium called Mine Environmental Neutral Drainage (MEND), to develop technologies and strategies to prevent and reduce acidic drainage.The MEND program focussed the effort to develop technologies to reduce the effect of acidic drainage, and examined four key areas; prediction, prevention and control, treatment and monitoring. A toolbox of technologies was developed to plan for, operate and decommission mines in an environmentally acceptable manner. In 2002, a multi-year research strategy was put in place, based on regional priorities established by an extensive network of Canadian experts. On the world stage, through the Global Alliance, MEND has forged international partnerships among other organizations involved in acidic drainage research.MEND's continued success lies in its collaborative multistakeholder approach, with members from two levels of government, the mining industry, and non-governmental organizations working on a common problem. Today, the MEND model of co-operation is copied in Canada and internationally to tackle both policy and science-based challenges.Technology transfer remains central to MEND's activities. MEND has published over 200 technical reports and guidance documents; these are now all available on the MEND website. Workshops are considered the best route for timely and efficient transfer of technologies and case studies, and MEND has sponsored or co-sponsored over 40 workshops, including the hosting of three ICARDs. As a result of the efforts of MEND and other partners, our understanding of acidic drainage has greatly increased, and significant advances have been made in environmental stewardship.