A key area identified as needing improvement for compliance with the 2020 Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) is meaningful engagement of project-affected people for all phases of a TSF life cycle. Stakeholder engagement cannot be meaningful and effective unless the process is suitably structured and resourced by adequately trained personnel.
In-depth engagement with project affected people is typically limited to the regulatory authorisation processes at the start of a project or before changes to existing projects are implemented. Engagement over the life of mine will not necessarily involve the TSF communities unless project-affected people have raised concerns, or an adverse event triggered the need to engage.
Integration of the mine’s environmental and social management system(s) with the tailings management system should support structuring for meaningful engagement. Resourcing should be facilitated by tailings engineers suitably trained to engage directly with stakeholders and project-affected people on the technical aspects of the TSF. The training of tailing engineers is crucial in conveying the dam breach analysis to most at-risk groups. Respecting cultural norms and understanding stakeholder expectations are essential for successful and positive relations between the operation and its stakeholders.
Too often, communities feel that consultation only takes place when a regulatory body requires it. When stakeholder engagement is approached in this way, the community views it as a tick-box exercise. Meaningful stakeholder engagements can be facilitated by direct involvement of project-affected communities. Consideration of project-affected people in the operation’s monitoring programs is recommended, where suitable.
SRK has a multidisciplinary team assisting numerous clients on the journey towards GISTM compliance. Key focus areas are capacitation, training and appropriate messaging for meaningful stakeholder engagement that provides assurance rather than concern or panic.
