This project aims to build the capacity of Indigenous People and Local Communities to contribute effectively to mine closure practices and outcomes.
Indigenous Peoples and Local Community members are often agricultural smallholders that are displaced for mining activity. They are culturally and spiritually connected to their traditional lands, with deeply held responsibilities and long-established practices for caring for these lands. It is critical to ensure the voices and traditional knowledge of these stakeholders are included in mine closure planning and land rehabilitation processes. Especially given the increased demand for key minerals required to support the global energy transition, including bauxite for aluminium production.
In this project, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities will be empowered with the knowledge and tools to contribute to these processes – collaboratively developing and trialling a method framed around Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles with potential for application in other sectors that require access to and management of land.